Hermione Granger's guide to the Weasley boys
by littlemissraindrop
Summary: It is common knowledge to all, except the two of them, that Ron and Hermione fancy each other. But when a change in family circumstances threatens their relationship, can their feelings survive the change or will they change for the worst? RHr fluff enjoy
1. Welcome to the family

Hermione Granger's guide to the Weasley brothers 

Alright, so this is my fanfiction along the lines of the summary that I read for 'Megan Meade's guide to the McGowan boys' by Kate Brian. I would like to point out that it is nothing to do with the storyline for this book, as I have never actually read it!

Anyway, moving swiftly on.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters or storylines. I am, however going to ask for the rights for Christmas!

This storyline comes after the sixth book and disregards the seventh.

Happy reading

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

'I have an announcement to make!' stated Mrs Weasley as she stood at the head of the table. It was breakfast time at 'The Burrows' and seven pairs of eyes were immediately on her. She stood addressing the four youngest Weasley children, her husband, Harry and Hermione in her dressing gown one Thursday morning in August. Happy in the knowledge that she had their full attention, she carried swiftly on, 'we are all aware of the unfortunate circumstances under which Hermione has joined our household…'

Hermione's brows furrowed in sorrow as she looked directly back down at her cereal bowl and tried not to show the sadness in her eyes as she recalled what she meant. The 'unfortunate circumstance' Mrs Weasley was addressing was the subject of her parents' disappearance. She had returned to King's Cross Station on the last day of term and found that there had been no one to greet her. Instead, she had taken a taxi back to her home where she had been greeted by silence. Furthermore, that evening she had been sitting beside the fire in the lounge when she had been approached by Mr Weasley's patronus.

'My dear Hermione,' it had spoken formally, 'I have grave news concerning your parents,' Hermione had shivered and expected the worst, 'we have heard of their disappearance and fear that it may not have been accidental. I don't wish to worry you but we have begun a full-scale investigation in order to find them,' the patronus was silent for a moment before continuing in a lighter tone, 'Molly has asked me to invite you to stay with us while this is sorted out. I will be with you within the hour to take you back to "The Burrows."'

Then the patronus had faded into nothingness leaving a fearful Hermione staring at the spot where it had stood moments before. Keeping a level head she had quickly collected any extra items that she would need and weren't already packed in her Hogwarts suitcase before waiting in agonising silence for what felt like hours before Mr Weasley apparated into the room.

She had arrived at 'The Burrows' and was welcomed warmly. For the next week she had been treated well and had been reassured constantly by those around her. She had felt like family, today Mrs Weasley would confirm that.

Whilst she had been lost in her thoughts, Mrs Weasley had continued with her declaration, '…we have made sure that she has felt welcome as well as comforted. She is like family to us. Which brings me to the point of my speech; some years ago when I first met Hermione's parents they told me that if anything should happen to them, they would rely on me to make sure that Hermione was well looked after. Therefore, as of this moment I am announcing that Hermione will become a Weasley.'

At this statement, Hermione's head whipped upwards in immediate shock, no longer interested in her breakfast that had enraptured her minutes before. Simultaneously, there had been gasps from various members of the family, and the cereal Ron had previously been chewing on was now spread across the table as he spluttered in confusion. For a few seconds the participants in this meeting seemed to stare around at each other, with the exception of Harry who looked rather amused by the whole situation, mouthing their confusion and unanswered questions at each other before their attention was drawn back to Mrs Weasley as she coughed loudly.

'I hope there are no problems with this and that Hermione will be welcomed with open arms by all of you,' she looked around the table sternly.

After a deafening silence, the siblings and Harry made their excuses and left the table. When there was only Hermione and Mrs Weasley occupying the kitchen, Hermione looked up at Mrs Weasley. There were so many doubts and questions running through her head. For now she would ask the most important question, 'Mrs Weasley?'

'Yes dear?' she sat down in the chair facing Hermione across the table.

'Why wasn't I told about any of this?' she asked, then realising that she had said it in an offended tone she continued with her thoughts, 'not that I'm not happy to be invited into the family as a sister and daughter. I really appreciate what you are doing for me, but I feel I should have been told.'

Molly reached out and covered Hermione's hands with her own, 'Arthur and I had to make a split second decision. Last night we were told by the Ministry that they wanted to place you with a more magically talented family unless we could take proper care of you. We knew that we would anyway but by making you part of the family it makes it inevitable and binding. I would have told you this morning but you were with Ron and you seemed the happiest you had been since you arrived here. I didn't want to interrupt that happiness. Do you understand?'

Hermione nodded her understanding then whispered, 'thank you.'

Smiling, Molly tapped her hands then stood up, 'I'm going to put the kettle on, would you like a cup of tea, dear?'

'No, no thank you. I think I just need some time to go over things in my head,' Hermione replied, pulling herself out of her chair and heading towards the door.

Molly nodded understandingly, 'think it over. Things will make sense in a few days once everything settles down.'

As Hermione left the kitchen she was immediately collared by Ginny who had obviously been waiting in the hallway. As she linked arms with Hermione and pulled her close by her side Ginny giggled childishly, 'we're going to be sisters, isn't that great!'

'Yeah, great,' Hermione sighed, wriggling her arm out of Ginny's grasp, 'excuse me Ginny, I think I just need to be alone for a bit.'

'Oh, ok. I'll come and find you later,' Ginny said, taking a few steps back towards the kitchen. Stopping, she called back after Hermione, 'Hey.' Hermione stopped on the stairs, 'everything going to be okay. We're family now, I'm going to help you get through everything.'

Turning to look at her, Hermione smiled, 'yeah, I know, thanks Gin. It's just that some things are going to change round here and I don't think I can take much more of that.'

As Ginny returned the smile, Hermione looked ahead again and mounted the stairs. Yes, things were going to change, and she had a feeling that some weren't going to be for the best.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	2. Having doubts

Thud… thud… thud… thud… 

'Ron?'

Thud… thud… thud… thud… 

'Ron?'

Thud… thud… thud… thud… 

'RON! Enough of the incessant head banging!' Harry was lying on the spare bed watching his best friend beat himself senseless against the nearest wall. This had been going on for a good five or ten minutes and Harry was beginning to believe that it wasn't good that Ron was killing the few helpful brain cells that he had left.

After making his excuses, Ron had immediately headed up to his bedroom. Harry had never seen him move so fast and by the time he had finally caught up, Harry's gaze met with the sight of his redhead friend sitting on his bed as he leant back against the wall, hitting his head rhythmically.

'This. Is. The. Worst. Thing. That. Could. Ever. Happen. To. Me,' Ron groaned in between thuds.

Harry closed his eyes and tried to look thoughtful, trying to avoid the unavoidable question. He knew what Ron was talking about, he had known since fourth year, maybe even before. Yet he was finding it so difficult not to ask, in the end he gave in, 'why?'

'Because,' he sighed, 'because I… ow!' His long-awaited admission was interrupted as he knocked into the corner of a picture frame, rubbing his head he continued, 'Because I love Hermione.'

Glad that the banging had finally stopped, Harry knew exactly what Ron had meant by that statement, still he decided to have a little bit of fun, 'So do I, mate.'

'No, I don't think you understand Harry. I'm _in _love with Hermione.'

At this, Harry's eyes snapped open and he shot up in mock shock, looking over at Ron in awe, 'Are you really?'

Ron stared back at him in astonishment, no longer rubbing his bruised head, 'Yeah, you mean you couldn't tell?'

Harry returned to his own self again and lay back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, 'Of course I could,' Harry caught a book that Ron had automatically aimed at his head after realising the mocking tone of voice, 'but if it helps I think Hermione may have missed the signs.'

'What signs?'

Harry looked at the cover of the book that had just been used to unsuccessfully attack him. "The fifty greatest method actors of all time," one of Hermione's books, 'Firstly that you've been stealing her property,' he waved the offending object in the air.

Ron gave him an irritated stare and was ready to pick up another book, this time the Oxford English Dictionary. Hardback edition. Noticing Ron's hand move towards the dictionary in a determined manner he continued swiftly on.

'Other than that,' Harry placed the book on the floor beside him and began to count on his left hand, 'there's the jealously, constant arguments, tension, attraction,' he turned over and propped himself up on his left arm, 'you have to admit there have been a fair few sparks flying between the two of you for the past few years.'

'Oh right, thanks Harry. You've made this whole situation much better by telling me that,' Ron replied sarcastically, if he hadn't been worried that there had been noticeable attraction beforehand he certainly did now.

'So what exactly is the problem?'

Ron sighed deeply and leaned back against the wall, 'I love Hermione, Hermione is now family which means that I can't make a move or tell her how I feel. In my mother's eyes we are all supposed to act like brothers and sisters, therefore I am now a brother to her. I can't go round declaring my love for my sibling, it's like saying I'm in love with Ginny,' he shuddered, 'I don't think Hermione feels the same way as me. I suppose, in a way, I've always been a brother to Hermione. This turn of events confirms it.'

By the end of his speech, Harry was staring at him in confusion, '_That _is what this is all about? You really have no idea how to act around her?' Ron nodded hopelessly, 'Ron mate, you said it yourself, you've always been like a brother to her and you've managed to control your feeling for this long. Nothing needs to change between the two of you for now. If something's meant to happen then it will, you'll feel a change in relationship. Trust me.'

Ron was silent for a minute as he took in this plan. He could act normally around Hermione; she was one of his closest friends. After a moment he shrugged, 'I suppose you're right, I just wish this hadn't happened in the first place.'

'Come on; want to play some Quidditch with me? If only to clear your head,' Harry asked as he hopped off the bed. Picking up Hermione's book he threw it back at Ron, 'put that back, she'll kill you if she finds out you've been raiding her things.'

'She wouldn't be our Hermione if she didn't.'

'_Your _Hermione, mate!' Harry stated encouragingly, hoping to get Ron's hopes up about the fact that it could still work out.

'Well, I wouldn't go that far just yet,' Ron replied, grabbing his broomstick and legging it out of the door before Harry could question him. There were many things in Harry's life that he didn't understand, the workings of Ron's mind was one of them!

'So you're in love with my brother.'

Hermione's head flew up as she followed the direction of the voice that had broken her chain of thought. Her eyes immediately met with the sight of Ginny Weasley who was propping herself against the doorframe leading into the room they were sharing. 'Excuse me?' Hermione said in a confused tone.

'I assume that's what this is all about,' Ginny replied as she walked over and sat on the bed opposite Hermione, 'all of the worries about changes are because of Ron.'

'No they're not,' Hermione said indignantly.

'Come on, Hermione. You're so transparent when it comes to your feelings about him. Tell all.'

At this, Hermione sighed deeply and put down her book on physics, closing her eyes she leaned back against the wall, 'I don't understand how this can happen to me, I mean of all the families I could have joined, it's the one family which has the greatest effect on my life.'

"Ron?' Hermione nodded her head, 'so you love him, what has a change of family got to do with anything?'

'He's like a brother to me now, I can't go round asking out my brother. Anyway, I don't think he feels the same way about me. He's always keeping me away from guys, protecting me, we argue like siblings. I just don't think he sees that I like him as more than a brother or a friend.'

'I would have to disagree.'

'Why? Has he told you?' Hermione's eyes shot open and looked slightly hopeful, edging forward on the bed towards Ginny.

'Not in so many words exactly,' Hermione's shoulders slumped, 'but come on Hermione, it's obvious isn't it?'

'No,' Hermione admitted, then realisation hit her. Grasping hold of Ginny's hands she continued, 'Merlin! You don't think he's noticed that I like him, do you?'

'Hermione, this is my brother we're talking about here, he's oblivious to pretty much anything that isn't spelt out to him in ten foot high lettering.'

'Fair point.'

'Are you coming out now? You're going to have to face your new family at some point, and I fancy doing some shopping later as well' Ginny reached out a hand to Hermione and smiled warmly.

'Ok, why not!'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	3. Cherishing the little things

That day Hermione had gone into the local village with Ginny; she'd found that retail therapy had done her a considerable amount of good. Buying a whole new wardrobe of clothes as well as plenty of new books, she had returned with a more relaxed attitude about her situation. She could act naturally around Ron, she'd been doing it for years after all, nothing had to change between them. Once she'd got used to the situation they would be able to act normally again, banter, argue, and be friendly around each other. It would just take a day or two to get used to, that's all.

Pushing their way through the back door to the kitchen that evening, Hermione and Ginny promptly dropped their bags of shopping on the floor, their arms aching from the strain. There was evidence on the kitchen table that the evening meal had already been served and eaten, Hermione and Ginny had been to a film showing at the village hall then picked up a bite to eat that afternoon before heading home. As Ginny went to get herself a drink from the cupboard, Hermione decided to head to the living room to collect her book.

However, as she rounded the corner she met with the sight of Harry leaning against the doorframe, listening intently with his ear to the closed door leading to the living room.

'Harry?'

'Shhh!' Harry hissed as he jumped away from the door and indicated for Hermione to lower her voice.

Hermione rolled her eyes then took a few steps forward and whispered, 'what's going on?' Within seconds Ginny was at her side.

'Mrs Weasley has called an emergency meeting, she's spent the last ten minutes lecturing the twins and Ron on what they can and cannot do with you,' Hermione winced at this blunt statement, 'rule number one was not to fall in love with you or try to kiss you!' Harry looked at Hermione in amusement, as her expression became one of embarrassment, 'so what are the odds that one of them will fall for you by the end of this now that they've been told not to?'

As Harry said this Hermione's heart seemed to sink, _he obviously knows that Ron doesn't like me or else he wouldn't have said that "one of them will" fall for me._

By now Ginny was looking thoroughly amused, 'I wish I'd been there to be asked to the meeting.'

'Yeah, but you wouldn't need to be. You don't intend to fall in love with Hermione, do you?' Harry reminded her.

Ginny raised an eyebrow cheekily, Harry's eyes became as wide as dinner plates, 'you wouldn't, would you?'

Ginny grabbed hold of Harry's collar with one hand and pulled him towards the stairs, turning back she winked mischievously at Hermione whilst Harry just stared at her in bewilderment. Finding it difficult to hold back a fit of giggles, Hermione just bit her tongue and went to collect her shopping bags from the kitchen. Once she had finally been able to balance the bags she decided to go up to her room, walking down the hallway she walked into Ron who was exiting the living room looking slightly flushed.

'Oh, sorry Hermione,' Ron said as she squatted down to pick up the bags which were strewn across the floor, he bent down to help her, 'let me do it.'

'Thanks Ron, that's very… erm… different of you.'

' "Kind" would have been a better word, why "different"?' Ron asked as they both returned to full height.

'You don't usually do anything for me unless you're sticking up for me, usually around Malfoy,' Hermione shrugged and headed for the stairs.

Ron gave a shudder and followed her up the staircase, 'can we forget about him please?'

'Of course.'

'Anyway, I'm turning over a new leaf, it makes a change to help you.'

'What do you want?' Hermione asked as she turned to look at him with a scrutinising gaze.

'Nothing!' Ron laughed, 'just take the help or I can always take all these bags back downstairs.'

'Don't you dare, come on!' Hermione led the way through to her room. As she began to put her new clothes away in the wardrobe, Ron lounged on Ginny's bed.

'So you're my sister now?' he asked.

'Looks like it,' Hermione replied lightly as she placed a dress onto a coat hanger.

'Great, like I need any more siblings around here,' Ron mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

She turned and looked at his innocently, 'I can always leave if you want.'

For a second Ron just looked across at her, then realising that she was messing with him he yawned, 'you know what I mean.' At that moment as he looked at her, Hermione presented a black bikini followed by a red summer dress. Ron seemed to stare in awe at the items of clothing. Although he had never seen Hermione in anything less than jeans and a jumper or t-shirt, or a dress at the Yule Ball, he had always imagined that Hermione had a well-shaped body but in his mind this confirmed it.

Realising at that moment that he was staring, he blushed at the fact that he was thinking of Hermione in that way only minutes after his mother had laid down the rules. Turning to look at the ceiling so quickly that he almost gave himself whiplash, Ron tried to come up with a new topic, 'So where's Harry anyway?'

'Off somewhere with Ginny,' Hermione placed a blue striped jumper in the wardrobe beside the red dress.

'Doing what?' Ron mustered his strength to look back at Hermione, relieved to see that there were more jumpers and t-shirts than dresses and swimwear coming out of the shopping bags.

Hermione glanced at him momentarily and raised her eyebrows. Taking the hint, Ron gave her a puzzled look, 'but they broke up.'

'No they didn't,' Hermione paused and considered this statement, 'well, they did but then they got back together.'

'No, Harry would have told me if they were back together. I mean, she's my sister and he's my best mate, I would have known somehow.'

Placing the last item of clothing in its place, Hermione crossed the room, kicked off her shoes and sat down on her bed facing Ron, 'I'm telling you that they're dating, just take my word for it.'

'Never, you're wrong. I know you are! Wrong, wrong, wrong,' he sang, 'thoroughly misinformed.'

'Why do you think I'd lie to you about something about that?' she crossed her arms and asked challengingly.

'I don't know, to have one-upmanship and make me irritated. You're abusing your role as family,' he joked with the last line, pointing accusingly at Hermione.

'I am not!' She leant forwards and poked Ron in the ribs, 'I'm telling the truth, why won't you just believe me?'

'Ow! Why do you always have to be right? Maybe you just go the wrong idea.'

'I did not!'

'Did so!'

'Did not!'

The arguing continued for a good while before Hermione had to drag Ron out of the room so that she could go to get a drink, not trusting him to not look through her possessions whilst she was gone.

'I'll just check on Harry,' Ron stated as they passed the room he and Harry were sharing.

'Ok,' replied Hermione smugly, 'but be careful in case I am right about him and Ginny.' Ron pulled a face at her before she turned and headed down the stairs.

Hermione's lips formed a huge grin as she heard what was going on upstairs moments later. There was a banging of doors, a chorus of, "GET OUT RON!" from Harry and Ginny followed by a confused Ron yelling, " Bloody hell, she was right!" before stumbling dumbstruck backwards out onto the landing with a resounding crash as he backed into the banister. For a minute Hermione was rather disappointed that she'd missed it before shrugging it off and heading for the kitchen.

Tapping the kettle on the stove with her wand, Hermione leaned back against the work surface and choked back a burst of laughter as Ron entered the kitchen red-faced and extremely agitated. Out of breathe as he had managed to knock the wind out of himself whilst tripping down the stairs he coughed, 'ok, so you were right!'

Hermione couldn't control the laughter any more and doubled over in hysterics.

'It's not funny!'

'Oh, I'd care to disagree,' Hermione replied once she had eventually composed herself, 'make some tea and get out some cutlery.'

Ron obliged as Hermione headed for the fridge, she was feeling quite hungry, as she had eaten her evening meal at an absurdly early time. Getting out an apple pie and some cream she returned to the table where Ron was sitting with two cups of tea, two bowls and two spoons.

Sitting across from him, Hermione began to serve up the dessert, 'humble pie?' she offered to Ron who was finally returning to his normal colour.

'I thought it was apple,' Ron said in confusion.

Hermione chuckled slightly at his naivety, 'No, I meant… oh, never mind.' She opened up the cream and spooned some onto each slice of dessert. Once she had finished she took one final spoonful and flicked it in Ron's face playfully, giggling childishly as his expression became one of incredulity.

'Oh thanks, Hermione,' Ron scoffed as he began to laugh, 'very mature!' Taking the forefinger and middle finger of each hand, he wiped some of the cream off his face. He then leant forward and made cream whiskers on Hermione's cheeks, 'there we go, very cute!'

'Cheers Ron,' Hermione replied.

'You started it,' Ron smiled cheekily.

'Yeah, but I can do anything I want now that we're related. I'm making the most of it, it could all end tomorrow.' _I wish it would end tomorrow, _she thought.

_If only it could end tomorrow, _thought Ron, _but maybe she wants it to last. Maybe this is the way it's always been for her._

As silence fell over the two teenagers, Hermione pushed a bowl across to Ron and they both began to eat. Not bothering to clean themselves up, both ate in silence for a few minutes before Hermione said, 'This is nice.' Ron looked up for his bowl to see her staring at her own. She felt him looking at her and looked up to meet his gaze, 'us not fighting, I mean. Just some quiet time, just the two of us…'

Ron swallowing his mouthful of apple pie whole at this statement before coming up with the reply, '…both looking like complete prats…'

'…but still having fun,' Hermione finished quietly.

'Who'd have thought it?' Ron joked as he kicked lightly at her foot under the table and grinned roguishly at her. In return she offered him a laugh and a warm smile. For a moment their bare ankles touched and a jolt of electricity passed between them.

Convincing herself that she had imagined it, Hermione mentally shook herself before continuing, 'If anyone saw us now they'd think that the world had gone mad.'

'You mean because you're not being so serious?'

'No!' Hermione cried indignantly, as Ron raised an eyebrow and stared at her wordlessly she backed down slightly, 'ok, point taken.'

'You just need to lighten up a little, relax and let yourself go,' Ron explained as he took another mouthful of cake.

'Teach me, you're better at being lazy and a joker than anyone I know,' Hermione said bluntly.

Again, this caused Ron to swallow his mouthful of food whole and gaped at her before replying in admiration, 'touché!'

Standing up, Hermione took a fake bow and giggled fiercely before perching herself back on her chair opposite Ron.

'There you go, that's a start already!'

'I've learnt a lot from you. I just need to put it into practice if I want to be laidback and useless.'

'I'll take that as a compliment,' Ron pointed his spoon at Hermione, 'but I think it's the tea talking.' He indicated at the mug in front of her.

She stared at him warily, 'what did you put in the tea?'

'Well, let see, milk, sugar, tea bag. That's about it, I think you've overdosed on tea leaves,' Ron said, attempting to sound scientific.

'Very funny, and yes, take it as a compliment.'

'Why?'

'Just do, don't ask questions. I'm too tired to answer them tonight.'

Ron didn't bother to test that point that evening, he felt that he didn't want an argument between the two of them quite yet given that they were now living under the same roof for the foreseeable future.The two continued to talk in the kitchen through to the early hours of the next morning, gradually finishing off the last of the apple pie between them.

Later that morning, as the sun came streaming in through the window, Ginny and Fred entered the kitchen to find both Ron and Hermione sleeping peacefully at the breakfast table. They were resting with their heads on the table, sitting across from each other, with cream across their faces and in their haphazardly set hair.

Turning on Fred, Ginny pointed one of her nimble fingers at his chest and whispered threateningly, 'not a word.'

Fred, in turn, just stood there; the sight of Hermione enraptured him. The way the morning sun caught her messy brown tendrils of hair, the way that the smudged whiskers of cream made her look adorably naïve and childlike, the way that her lips were a deep cherry colour in contrast to the cream.

'I repeat…' his sister's strict tone unwillingly broke his thoughts, '…not a word. Not to George, not to the others and you will certainly not tell those two,' she indicated to the boy and girl at the table, 'that you saw them this morning. Now get out.'

With one last lingering stare at Hermione, he reluctantly left the kitchen. _What it wrong with me? _He mused, _this is Hermione we're talking about, Ron's friend, literally my sister. I repeat, what is wrong with me? _

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	4. Getting too close?

There was a sound of shuffling in the kitchen and Hermione could have sworn she had heard Ginny's voice break through her dreams. She had been aroused from her sleep only moments after Ginny and Fred had left the room. Lifting her head, she looked round to find that there was no one in the kitchen.

As she turned her gaze to look across the table her sight met with the image of Ron. He was sleeping with his head turned to the left, leaning on his folded arms; his hair was a sleepy mess and his eyes were closed lightly. He looked so peaceful to her, she wanted to reach across and brush his fringe out of his face so that she could watch him more intently.

_Why not? He's asleep, _her mind was telling her, _he'll never know. _

Gathering up her courage, Hermione let her fingers creep across the table towards Ron. However, just before she could reach him he stirred and his eyes snapped open. Trying to cover her move, Hermione moved her hand sideways and grabbed the handle of the empty mug beside Ron's left elbow. Picking up her own mug and the two bowls, she pushed her chair backwards and got up so quickly that she almost overturned it.

'Morning,' Ron said groggily as he ruffled his fiery red hair, further messing it up and in turn rubbing in the left over cream from the night before. Quickly removing his hand from his head and he looked at it in confusion, then remembering what had gone on the night before he smiled and looked up at Hermione, 'I see you're suffering from the after effects as well?'

'What?' Ron indicated on his own cheeks the whisker marks gracing her own. Suddenly realising what he was trying to tell her Hermione wiped the back of her hand across her cheeks swiftly, 'Oh, right,' she replied before getting back to sorting out the dishes from the evening snack.

Ron laughed slightly, seeing that Hermione had only smudged the cream and that most of it was still splashed across her face. Standing up he made his way across the kitchen to her, then reaching into a drawer he took out a flannel and wet it under the cold tap. Taking a few more steps towards her, they found themselves a matter of inches apart. As Ron leaned in Hermione leaned back, not noticing the flannel Ron was holding.

'Come here a second,' Ron smiled; he reached out and placed his hand under her chin. Holding her still, he commenced in using the flannel to removed all traced of the cream from the night before, 'you know,' Ron said as he turned her face to the side and wiped her cheek, 'for someone so precise, your attempts at cleaning yourself up are rather shoddy. Almost Weasley-worthy.'

'That's what I'm aiming for,' Hermione replied as he turned her face the other way, 'now that I'm part of the family.'

Ron turned her face back towards him, 'method acting, I like it!' Dabbing her nose briefly with the tip of the flannel, he concluded, 'much better,' before removing his hand and going over to the washer.

'What do you know about method acting?' Hermione mused as she stared at him, 'that's a muggle thing.'

'Just because it's muggle you think I don't know anything about it?' Ron turned back to look at her.

'Well, yes actually. That's exactly what I think, Ron,' Hermione admitted.

'Then I suppose you don't know me very well,' Ron stated simply before shrugging and walking backwards out of the kitchen door, a cheeky grin spread across his face.

Hermione dropped the spoons into the sink and ran after him, reaching the bottom of the stairs she shouted up to him, 'you've been going through my things again, haven't you? Reading my books?'

From somewhere on the landing Ron replied chirpily, 'what can I say? You're a bad influence Hermione Granger.' With that the bathroom door closed behind him and Hermione sighed in a resigned manner before returning to the kitchen.

As the door clicked shut, Ron went across to the sink. For a minute he just stood there gazing at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he looked at the cream that was streaked through his hair, the weary expression on his face; he looked awful, that was what only five hours of sleep did to him.

The only good thing was the smile plastered across his face, it looked out of place but Ron didn't care. She's put it there; she made him want to smile when he was around her. Her attitude and her expressions were what made him sublimely happy. He continued to stare at himself for a while thinking about the night before.

Hermione had been right, it was nice just to relax and be friendly around each other. He couldn't remember the last time that the two of them had spent time in each other's company and not started an argument. Last night had been special; the only downside was that Harry had told him that if something were meant to happen then he'd feel a change. This wasn't the change Ron had been expecting, this was a change which indicated that maybe they could just be brother and sister.

Ron rubbed his face with his hands and yawned; placing the plug in the sink he ran some cold water.

As his mind wandered to what had happened that morning he thought of how he had confidently gone to clean Hermione up. He remembered that he had caught himself off guard with this gesture, one minute he had been sitting at the table, the next he was cupping her face in his hand and cleaning off the cream from the night before. He had found himself using playful banter around her without even noticing. His hand tingled as he remembered how soft her skin had felt against his own.

_No! _he thought, _I can't think about things like that, it'll just make things more difficult and awkward between us._

At this thought he plunged his hands deep into the tepid water, hoping to numb the tingling feeling in his hand so that it would go away so and he could get on with just being brotherly.

He splashed his face, wishing that he could wake up and find out that this was all a dream. He wanted to find out that Hermione's parents had not disappeared and that he and Hermione were still best friends who spent most of their time arguing about trivialities. Either that or he wanted their relationship to go back to one where they were brother and sister but still fought like cats and dogs, at least he could then still be able to hope.

Meanwhile, Hermione had headed back to the kitchen and began to do the washing up. Being brought in a muggle household, she didn't think to use magic for such a simple task and began to fill the bowl with hot water and washing up liquid that she was surprised to find under the sink. Dropping her hands into the bowl of water she started to scrub at the dishes, she became lost in her thoughts over what had happened the night before as well as what would happen today. It hadn't been an awkward situation that morning so she assumed that they should be ok around each other. After all, Ron hadn't seemed to fazed or reluctant when he had cleaned her face earlier.

As she thought of this she remembered the shivers that had run down her spine when he'd touched her, she also reminisced how tense she had felt when she had found him just inches away from her, how much she'd wanted to kiss him as he'd leant in moments later.

Shaking her head violently, she scolded herself, _No Hermione! You can't think like that, those kinds of thoughts will get you into trouble. Just forget about your feelings for Ron; he's your brother now so treat him like a brother. After all, he's going to treat you like a sister, save yourself the heartache. _

'Good morning,' came a cheery female voice from behind her, Hermione jumped almost five foot in the air in shock. Turning round she saw Ginny taking her place at the table ready for breakfast.

'Somebody's happy this morning, what's put that smile on your face?' Hermione asked once her heart had stopped pounding.

'Guess,' Ginny replied, winking at her.

'You know what? I don't even want to know,' Hermione flinched in realisation.

Ginny gave her a look of horror and disgust as it dawned on her as to what Hermione was thinking, 'oh come on, Hermione! Not _that, _I'm sixteen for crying out loud and anyway I came to bed early last night.'

'Did you?' Hermione asked absentmindedly, returning to the dishes and proceeding to dry them by hand.

'Yes I did, ye of little faith. Where were you?'

'Me? I was down here, I must have fallen asleep at the table,' Hermione declared bluntly. Ginny had to force herself not to laugh at the lack of information she was receiving from her, how reluctant she seemed to tell Ginny that she'd spent the evening with Ron.

In turn, Hermione was willing herself not to tell Ginny that she'd been with Ron the night before. If she told her then there would be a good chance of Ginny trying to set the two of them up, she wasn't eager to give her the starting point that she needed.


	5. Bottled up emotion

After they had laid the groundwork for a positive friendship the night before, Ron and Hermione found that they were able to not let change affect them. Instead the days went by quickly and before they knew it a week had gone by. A pattern formed between the two of them, they would get up earlier than the rest, go out for a walk then return to the kitchen where they would join the rest of the family for breakfast. The early starts had been annoying for Ron the first time Hermione had initiated it but after a few days he found that he valued the quiet time he got to spend with her.

One Tuesday morning Ron was up before Hermione, heading for the kitchen he made up some toast for the two of them. A few minutes later he heard a shuffling from behind him, turning around he saw Hermione standing in the doorway, her hair tied back in a French plait and wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

'Morning,' he smiled, 'toast?' he asked, walking towards her and handing her a slice.

'Thanks, are you ready?'

'As I'll ever be,' he replied, walking towards the door and opening it for her. He exited the kitchen behind her and they began to make their way down the drive towards the narrow country path that ran alongside the forest.

'So have you given any thought as to what training you're going to do once your old enough?'

'Auwworo twainnig,' Ron stated through a mouthful of toast after giving the question some thought.

Hermione turned to look at him, raising her eyebrows in distaste, 'Excuse me?'

Ron gulped and tried again, 'Aurora training, I've wanted to do it for a while now and it means I could continue to work with Harry. What about you?'

'I'm not sure, I was considering Healing but I keep wondering whether I should go for something which deals in the protection of house elves' rights.'

'Always the charitable, hardworking one!'

'Oh, I'm glad you acknowledge my talents as something more than just a waste of time now, Ronald!'

'Yes, well… I always did, I just never liked to admit it,' Ron admitted quietly and dismissively.

Hermione turned on him with an amused tone of voice, 'Oh really?'

'I do have a reputation to maintain you know!' he held his hands up and tried to make a good point in his defence, 'What do you think Dean, Seamus and the rest of them would think if I suddenly admitted that I didn't find the welfare of house elves quite as ridiculous as I made it out to be?'

'I suppose I'll have to forgive you seeing as I'm living under the same roof as you,' Hermione said simply, there was silence for a few seconds and Ron could tell that there was something else she wanted to say. Something in her voice had told him that there were a lot of things left unsaid in that conversation.

A minute and several steps later his thoughts were confirmed when Hermione continued with a tone of hurt in her voice which seemed to waver, 'but you made me feel like such an _idiot! _Like telling me that what I was doing was worthless and demeaning, do you know how that _feels _Ron?'

Ron walked alongside her, staring at her speechlessly as she continued to stare intently at the ground in front of her, his long legs finally finding it difficult to keep up with her increasing speed, 'and all so that you could put on a front for your friends! _You're impossible, Ron Weasley!_'

Her voice had now become a high-pitched shriek and she was fighting the tears forming in her eyes. Unable to control her emotions she picked up speed and ran off into the forest towards the lake. Ron stopped abruptly as Hermione had disappeared amongst the foliage, 'where in the _name of Merlin _did that come from?'

All he could do was stare bleakly into the forest with a look of bewilderment spread across his face; the cogs in his brain were working overtime and he still hadn't a clue how they'd managed to go from nice stroll to Hermione hating him for something he hadn't done in months! When he said he wanted things to go back to normal this wasn't _quite _what he had been asking for.

Once she had reached the lake, Hermione dropped to the ground and curled herself up in a ball, sobbing to herself. She'd forgotten how much Ron could get under her skin even if he wasn't trying to. Maybe things couldn't be different between the two of them; maybe this was the way it had to be. If he really liked her then he would never have tried to hurt her, annoy her or make her jealous. Not before and certainly not now!

_This is just stupid Hermione! You wanted to make a fight, you had to make a fight to make yourself feel better about the situation between you and Ron. You never think of the other consequences, do you? For as smart as you act, you are completely clueless! What if you've blown it? Being Ron's sister was one way of being close to him without him suspecting anything. What if this argument has blown it? What if he doesn't come after you? What if he thinks he's gone back to being just the obnoxious, uncaring best friend?_

'Stop it!' Hermione sobbed, 'he'll come after me, I know he will because he loves me like family and family look out for one another, family protect one another. They forgive each other. He'll come back!'

_You have to go after her, Ron. She's upset, things must have obviously got on top of her, think about it! A chance to comfort her, be close to her… No! Stop it! You haven't thought like this for days, she's your sister for God's sake… But you can comfort her like a lover and still act like a caring brother, do it!_

'Oh sod it,' Ron's heart won over and he went after Hermione to go and find her.

Hermione shivered; the cold morning breeze bounced off the lake and hit her with full force. She could feel goose bumps forming on her arms and shoulders, maybe he wasn't coming to find her, maybe he had given up on her. She curled herself tighter in a ball, she missed her parents, she missed the way things had been before, Ron's friendship was the one thing she had to hold on to and there was a good chance that that was now gone.

She was pulled from her thoughts as a patch of warmth formed on her cold arm, looking up cautiously she could see a blurred image of an individual with messy red hair. She chuckled in spite of herself, that _really _narrowed down the Weasley household, didn't it? She wanted to know who it was, whom she could cling to for comfort.

'I'm sorry.'

Ron.

Hermione jumped up and flung her arms around his neck, she embraced him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder as she began to cry again, 'no, I'm sorry Ron. I'm so sorry,' she blubbed. Ron knelt there in amazement and confusion for a moment before cautiously wrapping his arms around her torso, holding her close and comforting her.

As his shaking hand finally gained the courage to reach up and stroke her hair after a few moments of awkwardly holding the woman he loved so close to him, Hermione leaned back and looked him full in the face. Ron could see deep into her tear stained eyes and could see hurt, pain and fear. It hurt him to know that she felt that way, that there was nothing he could do to reverse events.

'I'm sorry I yelled at you,' Ron opened his mouth to speak, 'no, Ron, I need to tell someone and I know that you'll listen to me and hopefully not judge me. I was worried about my parents, I still am, things are getting on top of me and I needed to let out my anger. I remember the release I used to feel when we would argue over something trivial, like it cleared the air between us and gave us a fresh start. I needed to clear the slate to start again and you seemed to be the one person around when it happened,' Hermione took a deep breath, 'can you forgive me, Ron? I promise the anger wasn't meant to be directed at you.'

She looked at him pleadingly, 'and you came after me so that must could for something, mustn't it.'

Ron just chuckled as she finished her speech, 'you're a complex and confusing person Hermione Granger, if we didn't fight… well, let you have your monologue every so often… then we wouldn't be Ron and Hermione would we? Siblings or not!'

'Thank you,' Hermione laughed. Relieved, she hugged him again.

_Ron and Hermione, _Ron thought, _that sounded good to say. Not Ron, Hermione and Harry; just the two of them. It felt good._

A moment later Hermione shivered involuntarily, 'you're cold,' Ron stated.

'Well done genius!' Hermione jested.

Sticking his tongue out at her playfully, Ron stood up and removed his jacket placing it around her shoulders before holding out his hands to her, 'come on, let's get back for breakfast.'

Hermione rolled her eyes and took his hands, he pulled her up to full height, 'Honestly, Ronald,' she said in mock exasperation, 'I bear my feelings to you and all you can think of is food! You have such a one track mind.'

At this statement Ron simply shrugged his shoulders and placed an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm to warm her up as they walked along beside the lake back towards the house.

_I'm thinking of more things than you'd want to know, Hermione. Thoughts and feelings I dare not show you. Just accept me for what I can tell you and trust me on everything else._

Just as they wandered down the garden path to the kitchen door Fred emerged from the garage. He followed and watched as the two of them made their way into the kitchen, a shot of jealousy pierced him as he gazed at Ron's arm around Hermione's shoulders.

_Stay away from her, she's not yours to possess. You're just her friend. _


	6. Multiple admirers

'Morning,' George greeted his twin as Fred dropped himself in the adjacent seat with a resounding thud, 'where've you been?'

'Garage,' Fred replied, not even bothering to look at his brother. A dazed and detached look was spread across his face. His eyes had glazed over though George could tell that they were set on a fixed point; for once his so-called "psychic link" was failing him. Fred had been like this for the last week or so since Hermione had joined the family.

'Why?' George asked warily; he was slightly worried by Fred's behaviour, the last time he'd seen Fred like this he'd been lovesick over Angelina.

'Just looking for something,' Fred stated dismissively, leaning back on his chair but still not looking at any of the individuals he was in the company of.

He was being too quite and too preoccupied with something else, he had even lost the ability to make quick-witted comments or form ideas for new joke shop products. This was worse than the situation with Angelina and he'd been besotted with her, George had a feeling of dread as it dawned on him that maybe his brother was in love!

George followed his gaze to the worktop of the kitchen where Ron and Hermione were standing, laughing and preparing sandwiches. Making sandwiches, nothing odd about that, it was just Ron and his best friend, their new sister. Ron knocked sideways into Hermione playfully and at the same time he felt his brother stiffen beside him. Then it hit him, he looked rapidly from Fred to the duo and back again. Fred couldn't possibly be pining after Hermione, could he?

Once Mr Weasley had left the table to get ready for work, George decided to approach the subject of Hermione to Fred.

'Oh brother of mine? You wouldn't by any chance be interested in Hermione would you?' he whispered bluntly. So bluntly and casually in fact, that Fred, who had been balancing on the back legs of his chair, lost his concentration and toppled over backwards.

'Oh bloody hell!'

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Ron and Hermione entered the kitchen unaware that they had been followed by Fred and made their way to the worktop to make themselves some sandwiches for breakfast. As Ron grabbed the butter and ham from the fridge, Hermione went in search of bread. They returned to each other's side and began to butter and cut bread. Hermione was quiet, more quiet than usual and Ron suspected that she still hadn't quite got over the outburst that had occurred earlier that morning. He felt uncomfortable; he wanted his Hermione back, the bossy, funny, self-confident one.

He leaned inwards closer to her and said quietly, 'Go to Bill and Fleur's wedding with me.'

Still looking preoccupied at the sandwiches she replied absentmindedly, 'I'm already going to the wedding, your mother wants me to be a bridesmaid.'

'I know.'

'So why say that, Ron?'

'I meant let's go together,' Hermione's eyes flicked up to look at him briefly, at this Ron turned fully to look at her, surprised she wasn't taking the hint, 'Hermione Granger I am asking you to be my date to my brother's wedding, are you going to accept me or not?'

Hermione's eyes widened in amazement before she began to laugh, at first Ron felt rather rejected, didn't she say at the Yule Ball to ask her next time? Was it possible he had misunderstood her in some way? Maybe she already had a date to the wedding, someone better and laughing at the fact that Ron could have even thought that she'd want to go with him. He felt his muscles tense.

'You're a bit eager Ron. We live in the same house, you could have asked me just before, not a fortnight in advance,' Hermione explained, still finding his eagerness rather amusing.

Ron sighed with relief and he felt the tension in his shoulders subside, 'well I learnt the importance of foresight from the Yule Ball the other year.'

'You remember what I said?'

'Remember? You yelled it half way across the entrance hall, I think everybody at that ball could probably remember what you said to me!' he turned back to the worktop as Hermione began to giggle childishly at what he had just said.

'Well, you deserved it.'

'I usually do,' Ron stated, 'is that a yes then?'

'Yes, that's a yes Ron,' Hermione hit him playfully on the arm he retaliated by knocking sideways into her lightly. Their forearms brushed against each other and for a second the laughing stopped and they just looked downwards at the food on the worktop.

The silence was broken by the sound of a crash, bang and 'Oh bloody hell!' Ron and Hermione turned round swiftly from what they were doing to find Fred sprawled on the floor, grasping out at the table and trying to pull himself upwards. He was red in the face and glaring daggers at George. A smile tugged on the corner of her mouth, she looked up at Ron and after a few moments of staring at each other in bewilderment Ron raised his eyebrow and Hermione burst into fits of giggles.

Grabbing a sandwich for each of them, Ron grasped hold of Hermione's wrist and pulled her back towards the kitchen door, 'come on!' And with that they were gone from the kitchen.

'What the hell did you do that for?' Fred snarled at his brother once he had finally regained his balance on his chair, 'you made me look like a complete fool in front of Herm…' he faltered slightly, '…them,'

'You _do _like her then?'

'No!' Fred stated indignantly, 'I do not like Hermione.'

George stood up and looked down at Fred in disbelief, 'of course you don't, you're just completely mad about her.' He turned to leave the room.

'I _do not_ fancy Hermione!' Fred yelled after him, sinking down in his chair in despair.

'By the way,' his brother's voice drifted through from the living room, 'you're always making a fool out of yourself in front of "Herm… them,"' George teased him, 'I doubt that "they" would be suspicious.'

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	7. A few too many 'novel' comparisons

That night Hermione couldn't sleep; it had been a busy day that had started and ended in spending time with Ron. After they had left the kitchen that morning Ron had been determined to cheer her up after her depressing outburst during their daily walk. He had started by taking her through the wood and back to the lake where they had lay side by side and discussed the fact that nature could be so perfect whilst in real life a war was brewing.

They had spent a good few hours just staring at the sky whilst Ron would tell her funny stories about his family. Lunchtime came and went, and by the time they returned to 'The Burrows' ready for something to eat 1:00 had come and gone. They had picked up some more sandwiches and disappeared into town for the remainder of the afternoon.

It had been a tiring day and Hermione had been shattered by the time she had found her way into bed. Yet as she lay in the small, cosy bed next to Ginny she was unable to sleep. All she could think of was the feel of Ron's skin against her own, the way he had grabbed hold of her wrist that morning and how he had picked her up, swung her round, made her laugh as they ran through the open fields. There was always that familiar jolt of electricity which shot up and down her spine every time he touched her, even the smallest connection made her shudder involuntarily.

She wanted to sleep but she just lay there in the pitch black, a deafening silence enveloping her. The only sound that cut through like a knife was the soft sound of Ginny's shallow breathing and her own much deeper and less frequent breaths. She had been lying there for a good hour or so since the light had been turned out in the room at 11:00 that evening.

She needed someone to talk to, she wanted to open up to Ron about her feelings again. She needed to be open and, well, intimate with someone; if she was going to be vulnerable and show her fears and worries then the only person she wanted to share this with was Ron. She surprised herself, out of all her friends Ron had always been the insensitive one, yet he was the only one she could see herself happy to share her feelings with.

Why not? She thought to herself, Harry had gone home the day before which meant that she wouldn't be disturbing his much-needed rest. It wouldn't hurt to go and see if Ron was still awake. Hermione was fully aware that Ron was no night owl and had always valued time to sleep, however when she had calculated the amount of books that had gone missing from her wardrobe compared with the amount of spare time Ron seemed to have during the day she had managed to evaluate that there was a good chance that he was doing a lot of reading late at night. No doubt it was to avoid torment from the twins if they were to catch him doing so much as looking at the cover of a piece of written work which wasn't to do with Quidditch.

Making a decision to go and see Ron, Hermione pulled herself up to a seated position in her bed and quietly extricated herself from the covers which surrounded her. Swinging her legs round and over the side of the bed she found her footing on the bedroom floor and pushed herself upwards until she was standing. Cautiously she made her way across the room to the bedroom door, opening it she headed onto the landing, pulling the door close behind her.

As she crept along the landing Hermione could just about make out a shard of light lining the doorway of Ron's room. Knocking quietly, Hermione didn't wait for an answer before popping her head around the doorframe.

'Merlin!' Ron hissed in alarm as he almost jumped three foot in shock. He seemed to be sitting upright on his bed, his back resting against the wall and his legs stretched out if front of him. A matter of moments before, in his lap had lay a book which he had instinctively hidden beneath the sheets as Hermione had opened the door.

Hermione chuckled to herself slightly as she gazed upon his embarrassed face, his ears slowly beginning to turn a dangerous shade of red. 'Ron, I know you've been borrowing my books, you're not the sneakiest of thieves you know,' Hermione stated bluntly, encouraging his to trust her, there was a moment of undeniably awkward silence before she decided to try again, 'and I don't care.'

At this, Ron's shoulders visibly relaxed and he brought the book out from beneath the bed sheets. Reopening it, he brought one knee up towards his chest and propped the book up in the right angle that he had formed with the frame of his body. From the spine of the book, Hermione was able to deduce that it was her hardback copy of 'North and South' by Elizabeth Gaskell, a period novel her parents had given to her the Christmas before as she had enjoyed 'Pride and Prejudice' so much.

It ran in the same vein as the Jane Austen love story except to Hermione it was a more realistic storyline. She had always hoped that there might have been a way for Ron to read one of the two and take the major hint that opposites most definitely did attract. However, now that the occasion had arisen Hermione could tell that she had been seriously misled. Ron hadn't even wanted to admit he had been reading it, let alone taken severe hints over their relationship.

'Mind if I come in?' Hermione asked quietly.

'Sure, why not?' Ron shrugged and replied automatically, not thinking of what he was really encouraging.

As Hermione made her way into the room she leant back against the door until it clicked shut behind her. On the click the realisation seemed to hit Ron straight between the eyes. As he looked up at Hermione, Ron gulped audible; luckily it went unnoticed by her. He was beginning to deduct and realise the complications of what he had just initiated.

Here they were, two hormonal teenagers, head over heels for one another, alone in a boy's bedroom in the dead of night. No interruptions and no one to put on a front for. It was just the two of them and their own feelings, Ron was becoming afraid of what he may admit if they were to be alone in each other's company for too long, worse than that he was afraid of what he might do and what could happen to their friendship.

He looked her up and down as she stood across the room from him dressed in her blue pyjamas and dressing gown. Maybe it was like the novel he was holding indicated; it was possible that there could be something between the two of them. Maybe it wasn't just him feeling this way about their relationship, after all stranger things had happened.

In his mind he could be Mr Darcy, yes he had read that book too, they couldn't stand each other at times but there was always an underlying understanding between them. He was prepared to do anything for her, he had proved that to her many times before.

His heart rate quickened as she casually took a few steps forward; she seemed so friendly and innocent. Was it possible that she really had no idea what she was doing to him? What sort of effect her presence had on his emotions and feelings? Whenever he was around her he dropped his defences and felt that he could be… well, honest around her. Something that he didn't even do around his own family let alone anybody else. She made him feel guilt, humility, and pain when he was in the wrong, but at the same time he could feel sublime happiness and abandonment.

He became lost in his thoughts for a moment and before he knew it she was sitting beside him. She leant back against the wall and mimicked his seated position on the bed. She leant her head on his shoulder and he felt his heart skip a beat.

'_Relax Ron, for Merlin's sake! This is Hermione, just your old friend… your best friend Hermione. Just do as Harry said, act naturally. If something is meant to happen between the two of you then it will. You'll feel a change. Don't rush into anything like you usually do, your friendship may depend on it.' _

'Are you enjoying the book?' Hermione mumbled as she closed her eyes and made herself comfortable against him.

'Yeah, it's good. It's different from what I'm used to,' Ron replied.

'Ron, _anything _is different from what you're used to reading. All you ever read is Quidditch magazines and programmes. You need to broaden your horizons and stop reading such rubbish.'

At this, Ron attempted to act in an offended manner, 'Hermione Granger, that was below the belt! I never tell you to read anything different from the books you always have your nose in.'

Hermione poked him in the stomach playfully, 'Yes you do, it's all you ever tell me to do,' she adjusted her voice to do a half decent impression of Ron, '"you need to lighten up" "learn to have fun Hermione" "try reading about something different some time Hermione"'

'Point taken. Going back to the original point though, it isn't too bad a book, but it does seem to use the same storyline and society differences as "Pride and Prejudice"' he said passively, closing the book and placing it on the bed beside him.

At this statement Hermione's eyes snapped open and she sat upright, twisting round she stared at Ron in awe and admiration, '_you've _read "Pride and Prejudice"?'

'Of course,' Ron said smugly, happy that she had managed to gain one-upmanship over Hermione and had impressed her at the same time, 'it's about Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett who attracted to each other the moment they meet but are separated by pride…'

'…and prejudice,' Hermione cut in, still staring deep into his undeniably blue eyes.

'They have a series of disagreements due to misunderstanding and misconceptions…' Ron continued.

'… as Jane and Mr Bingley fall in love but are kept apart'

' But Mr Wickham makes things more difficult as he becomes interested in Elizabeth…' Ron thought of Krum as he began to realise there were more similarities than just their relationship; involuntarily he reached out for her hand and entwined his fingers around her own as he looked at her.

'…and Mr Darcy knows a secret about his past.' True this didn't apply but Ron could always live in hope, 'so Elizabeth blames Darcy for everything that happens, but he's trying to make things right…'

'…because through it all, everything he does is in her best interests,' Ron tried to explain his actions over the last six years.

'And no matter what they go through…' Hermione said, looking down and noticing her small hand in his larger, more masculine one.

'…and what goes on around them…' Ron followed her gaze and stroked the back of her hand.

'…they're still head over heels for each other,' both breathed the words at the same time as they looked back up at each other intently.

For a moment all either of them could think to do was look at each other in silence. Again there was the familiar sound of their breath cutting sharply through the air, however this time the sound of their hearts beating fiercely against their own ribcages seemed to join in. So many times both of them had hoped that there would be a day where they would find themselves in this position of intimacy. Though now that the moment had arrived both seemed equally in shock to realise that the other felt the same way.

'_What are you doing?' _Hermione's brain asked her, _'here you are in the perfect situation to move things on with him, and what are you doing? Absolutely nothing! For the love of Merlin do something before the moment passes you by.'_

At the same time Ron seemed to be having an internal struggle between his head and his heart, _'This is what you've been waiting for; she's here, you've both just admitted that you're mad about each other. This is the sign Harry was talking about, you idiot!' 'I can't, it's Hermione, she's still my best friend. Maybe I just misread the signals.' 'You didn't, just do it!' 'Do what?' 'Kiss her!'_

He was drawn out of his internal argument as he felt warmth on the hand he was holding Hermione's with. Focusing his sight back down to his hand he noticed that she had now reached across and placed her other hand over his own, cupping it. Against his will, Ron's body seemed to shift forward as if there was a magnetic pull between the two of them. They drew closer to one another and only stopped when they were merely inches apart.

In unison their eyes slipped shut and for a few agonising seconds they seemed to stay like that. Hermione could feel Ron's warm breath on her lips and it made her want to kiss him all the more. However, her happiness subsided when suddenly the pressure was released on her hand, he had let go, maybe he had become repulsed by the idea of kissing her. After all, she was like a sister to him. She was about to draw back and leave when Ron's hand slid round the back of her neck and pulled her forwards.

As Ron had let go of Hermione's hand he could have sworn that she had stiffened and sighed. Maybe she thought he hadn't wanted to kiss her after all. Instead Ron was trying to steady himself, placing one hand firmly on the bed he reached up and placed his other hand at the nape of her neck. He was going to do it, he was going to kiss her, damn the consequences he had to know her feelings for him.

He was really going to kiss her, she thought, she could feel warmth radiate from him as he drew her closer to him. A few more moments and they would both know exactly where they stood with each other in their relationship. Again she could feel his soft breath on her face, their lips almost collided when there was a reverberating bang.

No two people had ever jumped away from each other faster than Ron and Hermione did when the bedroom door flew open. Turning their heads so fast they both almost gave themselves whiplash, they saw none other than Fred standing in the doorway looking no less than horrified.

'I'd better go,' Hermione mumbled, unable to look Ron in the eye, 'Thanks for listening to me.'

'No problem,' Ron replied as he stared after her. Once she had turned onto the landing and was out of sight he turned to the intruder, 'What?' he snapped.

'Nothing,' Fred replied, surprised at how quickly he had gained composure after the shock of finding his brother and his crush in an intimate situation, 'Ginny was just worried about where Hermione was,' this was a blatant lie but he didn't care, 'seeing as Hermione's parents have already gone missing she was rather scared when she woke up and found that her best friend was missing too.'

Fred stared at Ron and used an accusing tone, he'd been hurt by what he had seen and wanted Ron to feel guilt over the situation. It wasn't working but it made Fred feel better.

'Get out,' Ron hissed venomously, he wanted to yell at his brother but he didn't think the rest of his family deserved to be woken at such an ungodly hour of the night. Obligingly, Fred left the room. He'd deal with the situation later.

When the door had closed behind Fred, Ron rhythmically knocked his head backwards against the wall, 'what am I doing?'

Meanwhile, Hermione sat down on her bed and fell back onto the pillows, looking up at the ceiling she thought over what had just happened, what she had almost admitted, 'what am I doing?'

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	8. Things don't feel right

Dearest reviewers! Thank you for your lovely reviews, they are much appreciated! But can we please stop damning Fred?! The poor bloke is just a boy in love… or infatuation… hmmm, probably the latter but still! Trust me! You will all get your fluff if you just let Fred live! (Well, it'll happen whether you let him live or not… but anyway)

That was just a little note, as I feel quite attached to Fred in this story, this is just motherly protection. Everyone deserves a little bit of love so cut him some slack.

As always, love and thanks to you all,

Happy reading

Raindrop

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Again, a week past swiftly by since the night that Ron and Hermione had almost kissed. The night that would always be known as "the night they nearly but not quite let their feelings take over their relationship." "That night" in short. Ron and Hermione had been trying, and failing, to hide the fact that something wasn't quite right between them whilst Fred was avoiding both of them at all costs.

George was even beginning to suspect something after his twin had tried to climb out of the bedroom window, the only other exit from their room, to avoid Hermione when she had come to ask George about one of their products. He was worried that Fred was preoccupied and not thinking straight, as he would usually have used any excuse to be able to disapparate from a room. Instead that idea didn't seem to even cross his mind when trying to escape.

Ginny also had a good idea of what was going on, for a sixteen year old she was rather intuitive, not that there weren't enough clues to follow of course. She had been awake when Hermione had returned from her evening venture "that night" and had heard her mutter, 'what am I doing?'

Then next morning both of them had been avoiding each other, not wanting to look one other in the eye. The two of them were making it abundantly clear that they were making at least a five meter gap between them at all times and could barely stand to be in the same room as each other for more that five minutes or so. What had become their regular morning walk had now drifted into non-existence, whilst if they were left in a room alone together one would always make an excuse to get out. Ginny was becoming rather suspicious as to where Hermione had been that evening, probably with Ron, and exactly what had gone on between them.

Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs Weasley were oblivious to anything being wrong with almost half of the household and continued to be blissfully happy over having such a lovely family which to their knowledge was not dysfunctional in any way.

Days went by quickly as avoidance became easier and every teenager in the house seemed to spend more and more time in his or her own room. Before any of them knew it, Bill and Fleur had arrived to make the final wedding preparations.

It was a week before the wedding and the moment they had set foot in the house they had felt that there was something wrong, yet they were unable to put their finger on exactly what it was. It wasn't the kind of atmosphere they wanted at their wedding, as Fleur kept pointing out, and nobody was telling them anything so they decided to do a little investigating for themselves. Bill decided to take the unsubtle approach and have an intense, blunt conversation with George and Ginny.

'Ok, tell all little sister,' Bill said bluntly as he dropped into the chair across from Ginny in a village café, pushing a second mug of hot chocolate across to her and a coffee to George. Back at 'The Burrows' Fleur and Mrs Weasley had cornered Hermione to sort out the final changes to her bridesmaid's dress. It wasn't going to be a nice atmosphere between the bride-to-be and the future mother-in-law so everyone had scattered to their own places as quickly as possible.

Ron was already barricaded in his bedroom and therefore was unaware that he should have got out of the house, Fred had joined his father in the safety of the garage and Bill had offered to take George and Ginny into the village for a while to discuss "issues." This opportunity had been grabbed with both hands by both siblings and ten minutes later they had ended up in a quaint café on the corner.

'I have no idea what you mean, dear brother,' Ginny replied, being the only girl in the family she had a way of manipulating her brothers to meet her needs. Already she had managed to con Bill out of two hot chocolates, a slice of cake and the promise that she wouldn't have to wear a hideous tiara that Fleur had given her for the wedding.

'George?'

'She knows more than I do,' George replied, equally as unhelpful and pointing to Ginny half-heartedly. Bill had been trying to get information out of them for the last fifteen minutes and was being constantly re-buffed. Ginny seemed to be remaining faithful to her best friend whilst George was maintaining the dumb and deluded image.

'Honestly, it's like getting blood out of a stone with you two! Why won't you just tell me what's going on between Fred, Ron and Hermione?'

'Nothing's going on, why do you say that?' Ginny asked innocently, sipping some hot chocolate and raising her eyebrow.

'It's just that me and Fleur felt a strange…' then it hit him, the ideal blackmail, 'If you don't tell me, I'll give Fleur the permission she needs to redecorate your bedrooms for you. Did I ever mention that she's been wanting to decorate them for when her relatives come to stay?'

'There's a good chance Ron and Hermione may have kissed,' Ginny babbled as her resolve broke down before she could stop it. The idea of Fleur being let loose in her private organised chaos filled her with dread.

Bill smiled smugly; he had known they'd break eventually, even if he had had to play dirty and use Fleur against them. However, as Ginny's explanation began to sink in and he thought about the situation, his smile disappeared as suddenly as it had formed. It wasn't possible; they must be lying to him. That excuse left a lot of unanswered questions, 'But how does that affect Fred? Why is there tension if they have kissed? Ron and Hermione have liked each other for years, haven't they?'

Ginny glanced sideways at George, 'there's a good chance Fred also has a crush on Hermione,' he said dubiously.

'And the rest?' Bill wanted all of his questions answered.

'Fred was out of bed the same night as Hermione, there may be tension if Fred walked in on them kissing…'

'… if they kissed,' Ginny pointed out.

'Which would already mean tension on Fred's part,' George continued.

'And the tension between Ron and Hermione?'

'There is a slight chance that both of them are in denial over what happened, if it happened.'

'Why?'

'Because Ron and Hermione are not ones to admit feelings, they think that it would ruin their friendship to get too close,' Ginny explained, exasperated as she thought of how ridiculous the two love-sick teenagers were being.

'How do you know this?'

'Hermione told me and Ron told Harry, then Harry told me and I kissed Harry,' she stated.

'Didn't really need to know that last bit, Gin,' George said as he wrinkled his nose at the thought of it. In response Ginny stuck her tongue out at him, George hit her on the arm playfully and she kicked him in the shin.

'Back to the subject in hand,' Bill interjected impatiently, 'why the tension?'

'Well, if they did kiss then they would be trying to make sure it didn't happen again by keeping their distance…'

'… and if they almost kissed then both of them would be avoiding each other to make sure that it never happened in the first place,' George said, still rubbing at his bruised shin.

'Of course, it doesn't help that mum told both Ron and Fred not to fall for Hermione…'

'… and that Ron was already mad about her, whilst Fred has a tendency to break the rules.'

'Ah,' Bill said bluntly.

'Is that all you can say? "Ah"?' Ginny looked at him sceptically.

'What else is there to say?' Bill took a mouthful of coffee, swallowing he continued, 'I only needed an explanation, I never said I was going to pass judgement or do anything about it.'

'You're useless, are you aware of that?' Ginny sighed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	9. Weddings and warfare

A week later the wedding of Bill and Fleur took place in the garden of the Weasleys. Despite the fact that Ron and Hermione still weren't talking, there was an unspoken understanding that they were still going together, much to Fred's dismay. Harry had returned to 'The Burrows' annoyed to see that his two best friends were still giving each other the silent treatment two weeks after 'something' happened 'somewhere' between 'some people.' Unfortunately, that was all that he had got out of Ginny as she was still rather confused over what exactly happened "that night."

All of the boys had woken that morning, found their suits hanging on the outsides of their wardrobes, groaned and tried to turn over and get back to sleep. None of them seemed ready to face the wrath of a Veela bride who was obsessed with having the best wedding possible. It had taken Mrs Weasley threatening them all with Fleur residing at 'The Burrows' until the couple had bought a home of their own to actually get them to get up. Grudgingly they had headed downstairs and almost fallen asleep in their porridge before being sent back upstairs again to get ready.

They had all got dressed within an hour with two hours or so spare before the ceremony started and had all decided to hang out in the living room. Fred, George and Harry had taken the sofa, lounging around with their feet up on the coffee table whilst Ron had dropped into the armchair, swinging his legs over one of the arms and lying back on the other.

What a sight they all were when Ginny arrived half an hour later, all four of them had almost given up hope of ever getting out of the house. Harry was now lying upside down with him back on the floor and legs up on the sofa, the twins had almost mastered falling asleep sitting up and Ron was pacing the room anxiously. George had happened to point out that he would have to make an impression on Hermione today or else there may not be another chance.

Clearing her throat, within seconds all eyes were on Ginny. Ron stopped moving and Fred and George literally jumped into consciousness, not too bothered by their sister's presence and the fact that she was wearing a figure-hugging dress that skimmed the floor gracefully. Harry, however, seemed to be looking her up and down in admiration and awe before raising an eyebrow suggestively. By drawing her brothers' attention to herself, _just _their sister in a dress, she was hoping that Hermione's entrance would at least have an effect on two of the boys in her presence. Giving Harry and cheeky look, she took a swift step sideways and indicated towards the staircase.

As Hermione descended the stairs she could feel all eyes on her, looking up from the ground she was greeted by four hormonal teenage boys with their mouth hanging open. She was wearing a soft purple dress that floated gracefully to glide across the floor, it had a lower neckline than she was used to and the straps were almost as thin as dental floss. Suffice to say, she was showing enough skin to get the boys' attention; for once she had something to thank Fleur for, Ron seemed suitable entranced by it.

'Harry! Boys!' Ginny scolded, 'look upwards.'

'Huh?' was all she got from them as the lads just about caught what Ginny had just said.

'Try looking at her face.'

'Oh sorry,' was the mumbled reply as Hermione's audience looked up and smiled apologetically at her. After a moment of uncomfortable silence as Hermione walked into the living room, Ron mentally shook himself and wandered across to stand in front of her, he suddenly felt comfortable. When he had put on the suit earlier that morning he had felt overdressed, he was wearing a shirt, tuxedo, tie, trousers and the most uncomfortable shoes he had ever been given. Now, standing in front of Hermione he felt that he could dress like this, be her prince, any time.

'Well Ronald,' Hermione smiled, 'you look very presentable this morning.' _He does, he looks so attractive and it kills me to know that I'll still have to keep my distance from him. I still can't trust myself around him, what if he figures out my feelings? _

_Don't screw this up, _Ron's heart was saying, 'Wow Hermione, ummm…' _think, Ron, think; compliment her, say she looks beautiful or something, _'never knew you could scrub up so well.'

At this Hermione's face fell, _Idiot! _Ron's mind yelled, _"never knew you could scrub up so well!" since when was that classed as a compliment? Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! _

'Oh right, thanks Ron!' Ron was dragged harshly out of his mental self abuse as Hermione hissed venomously at him, 'let me guess, that's what was wrong at the Yule Ball. You thought I wasn't good enough for your precious Quidditch idol Viktor Krum! Is that what it was? I didn't look good enough, he was too good for me! Is that it Ron?'

'What? No!' Ron protested.

'You know what Ron, forget it! Viktor likes me, you were wrong, he's happy to have me. Just the way I am!' Ron hated to hear her talk of Krum, he wanted to yell that _she _was too good for _him, _and that was what was killing him. That he knew that Hermione was too good for Krum and therefore much too good for him, boring, plain, obnoxious Ron Weasley.

Hermione took a bold step forward and looked him directly in the eye, he was a good deal taller than her usually but she was glad to have an extra three inches from the heels she was wearing. She leaned forward until her mouth reached his ear 'And he's here,' she whispered harshly to him, these words cut through Ron with a knife, 'and I'm going to find him, because he knows how to treat me, how to compliment me. He knows how to be the perfect gentleman, I don't need you Ron, not now, not ever.'

And with that she stepped back, shot him a vicious look then turned on her heels and left the room, her dress material swishing behind her. Ron just stood there, transfixed to the spot. Krum? Here? Had he just lost his date to a pompous, Quidditch-playing prat because he couldn't think of a compliment quickly enough?

Behind him Harry was hitting himself in the head with the palm of his hand in despair whilst Fred looked like he was fighting a losing battle with his limbs to run after Hermione and ask her to accompany him instead. Meanwhile Ginny had began to tap her foot and look at Ron with an air of irritation, she seemed to be waiting for him to go after Hermione. When it didn't happen, she stepped forward and hit him swiftly round the side of his head. This definitely bought Ron's attention back to the room.

'What was that for?' He asked, rubbing his head and staring in bewilderment at his sister.

'"Never knew you could scrub up so well"?' Ginny mimicked her brother, 'since when did you call _that _a compliment, Ron Weasley?'

'Leave it Ginny, I've already mentally beaten myself up for that mishap,' Ron said, waving his hand dismissively.

'_Mishap? _Is that what you're calling it? Ron, you shattered her! She was so happy when you had asked her to the wedding as your date, it gave you two the chance you didn't get at the Yule Ball. Then you go and say something like that to her? You've thrown her back into the arms of Viktor again! You're back where you started, I hope you're happy!' With another whack to the side of Ron's head Ginny had gone.

'Ecstatic! Thanks for the concern!' Ron shouted after her before receiving another hit round the back of the head from Harry, 'will people please stop hitting me!' Ron moaned.

'You're an idiot, Ron. You know you've wanted a chance to make up with her for weeks, that was your chance.'

'Harry!' Ginny's voice came from the kitchen.

'Coming!' Harry shouted back, 'come on, you can't avoid Hermione or Viktor today unless you miss the wedding today.'

'That sounds like a good plan,' Ron replied.

'Not an option, come on.' Harry exited the living room, a depressed and thoroughly agitated Ron tagging along behind.

'Why didn't you go after her?' George turned on his brother the moment they were alone.

'Because I _still _don't fancy her,' Fred lied, hoping his tone would do the trick. George wasn't fooled.

'You missed your chance to be her "just a brother helping out" date. Now you have to compete against Viktor Krum,' George tapped Fred on the back and winked, 'smooth move, you're about as bad as Ron!'

'We'd better get going,' Fred said, changing the subject quickly, 'they'll be waiting for us.'

'Not Hermione,' his brother jested, 'she's gone to find Krum.'

'Why should I care?'

'Because you _lurve_ her!' George crooned

'Shut up, George.'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The ceremony went ahead without any problems. The vows were perfect and Fleur looked the happiest she could be, feeling safe in the knowledge that nothing could possibly go wrong due to all of her plans and preparations. After the wedding had finished everybody moved across to the tent where there was music, a dance floor, food and drink.

Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville, who had been invited by Mrs Weasley, had all made themselves comfortable at a table in the corner where they sat around eating, drinking and chatting about anything and everything that came into their heads. It felt right to all be together and were also soon joined by Hermione after she had taken the first dance with Viktor.

'Hi there,' she said as she floated into a chair beside Luna. She looked around the table smiling, only turning the smile to a glare at the sight of Ron, 'What did everybody think of the ceremony?' she asked, moving her gaze away from him.

'Beautiful,' Luna said happily, 'though I think they should have chosen different flowers for the bouquet, Fleur could have attracted all sorts of mini beasts whilst walking down the aisle.'

'I doubt she'd be too shocked if she attracted anything like that,' George said mischievously, 'she married the last scary thing that was drawn to her.'

'Thanks George,' came a voice from behind him. Turning round and looking up, George grinned sheepishly at Bill who had arrived with a tray full of butterbeers. Placing them down on the table, Bill looked across at Hermione, 'I was going to see if Hermione would care to dance with me, but seeing as I'm apparently a beast…'

'I would be honoured to dance with you Bill Weasley,' Hermione laughed, standing up she allowed Bill to take her hand and guide her to the dance floor.

Ron turned to watch as the two of them began to dance slowly across the floor. He looked on in awe as they glided gracefully around the dance floor, he wished that he was the one dancing with Hermione. To be that close to her, to breathe her scent and feel her skin against his own. He was aware that Bill was newly married but Ron couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy and anger that he was dancing with Hermione, _his Hermione. _He wanted to turn away, start a new conversation but he found it too difficult. It was wonderful and enchanting to watch her dance, who wouldn't want to watch them?

The rest of the group, with the exception of Fred who was having the same thoughts as Ron, however were all staring at Ron. Neville decided to take to plunge and, leaning sideways to whisper to Harry and Ginny, asked the inevitable, 'so are they together yet?'

'No,' the couple grumbled in unison.

'And why not?'

'I'll give you three guesses Neville,' Harry said simply, turning to him and raising his eyebrow sceptically.

'Didn't really need to ask, did I?' Neville asked, taking the hint and turning back to look at Ron. This was short lived before he decided to look longingly at Luna instead.

Everybody's attention was turned back to the table when Viktor Krum seemed to invite himself into their group, sitting down in Hermione's vacant chair, 'vere iz my Hermioninny?' he asked sternly.

At this question, Harry pointed to the dance floor half-heartedly; he had never really liked Krum and wanted to keep it that way. As Viktor shifted his gaze to where Harry was pointing he huffed quietly and stated, 'vy does she associate viz zeez ozer men ven she iz viz me?' On that note he stood up in a disciplined fashion and headed across to congratulate Fleur.

'Anyone else absolutely hate that bloke?' Ron muttered.

'Oh yeah,' came the reply from the rest of the table almost in unison.

Without prior warning Fred decided to push his chair back and stand up, however, before he could get any further than turning towards the dance floor George piped up, 'where are you off to?'

'To piss off Krum, of course,' Fred replied bluntly as if it was obvious as to what he was doing.

'And how may I ask do you intend to do that?' George asked, lolling back on his chair with an amused look spread across his face.

'I'm going to ask Hermione to dance with me,' and with no further explanation he was gone.

'I knew it!' George shouted triumphantly punching his fist in the air and almost falling backwards off the chair.

'Knew what?' Ron shot at him, looking worried; at the same time Ginny threw George a warning look.

'Nothing,' George faltered, 'nothing, ummm… just that Fred couldn't pass up an opportunity to irritate someone, even at a wedding.'

It was a rubbish excuse but Ron seemed to take it, shrugging he picked up a butterbeer and began to drain it rapidly.

_Poor Ron, _Harry thought, _this has got to be rough on him. Anyone else he could deal with, but Krum? You're an evil woman Hermione Granger! _

A while later the party began to die down, guests began to leave and the band were just playing slow songs as the reception began to wind down. The gang were still sitting at their corner table, which was now littered with empty butterbeer bottles, laughing and joking. Luna had made herself comfortable in Neville's lap as he stroked her hair unconsciously, Harry and Ginny were leaning on each other comfortably whilst Ron and Hermione seemed to have warmed to each other slightly again and were arguing playfully over trivialities.

The mood only became sombre and quiet when a dark shadow loomed over the table. Looking up, there stood the figure of Viktor Krum whom Hermione seemed to have neglected without noticing it a good few hours before. They had shared a few more dances after she had danced with Bill, Fred, George and Harry then she had left him to get some more drinks and had become distracted by Ginny. Now he was standing there looking rather stern, 'Hermioninny, I think zat we need to talk.'

Hermione looked around the table before standing slowly and following Krum out of the tent. Now that Hermione had gone, Ron's mood had become gloomy again. Needing to stand, move, do anything; he offered to go and get more drinks. As he wandered towards the drinks table he undid his tie and the top few buttons of his shirt, he felt tense and restricted in these clothes. He ran his fingers through his hair and ruffled it lightly; it had been a long day.

On his way to get the drinks he passed the entrance to the tent, looking out through the parting he could see Hermione and Krum down by the old oak tree. He stopped for a moment then took a step towards the entrance, whatever they were talking about, it didn't look good. He could hear muffled yells and could see both of them with a good three meter gap between them, Hermione waving her arms in annoyance whilst Krum just stood there in neutral. As he reached the separation in the tent material he leant against one of the standing poles. The drinks errand forgotten, he wanted to watch over Hermione to make sure she didn't get hurt.

Meanwhile, down at the oak tree Hermione seemed to be holding her own just fine, 'what do you mean by that? Aren't I allowed to dance with other men if I want to?'

'Not if you agree to go viz me, I vaz your date Hermioninny, not zem!' Krum threw back.

'But they're my friends, the closest thing I have to family right now!' she retorted.

'But zere ver so many of zem, all zoze Veasley men and zat Potter boy. He likes you, you belong to me, Hermioninny.'

'Oh no!' Hermione stepped back swiftly, 'you don't own me, I don't belong to anyone! And Harry does not like me! He's my best friend, for Merlin's sake! '

'Vat about zat Ron Veasley, are ze rumours about him true, do you like him?' Krum asked, taking a step forward whilst Hermione took another backwards.

'Yes, yes I like him!' she yelled back with tears in her eyes, she didn't care who heard as long as she made herself clear to Viktor, 'and guess what? I don't care, because Ron Weasley is ten times the man you'll ever be.'

Krum gave her a disgusted stare at that comment as if she had lost her mind, 'zen ve are ozer?'

'Oh yes,' Hermione snarled, 'I think we are most _definitely _over.'

With nothing left to say, Krum turned and marched away, leaving a distraught and fuming Hermione behind him. As he reached the tent, Krum pushed roughly past Ron who was still standing in the entrance, 'she iz all yours,' he said gruffly as he passed.

Ron had caught the odd word of the conversation but not enough to know what she had said about him. Still, he had a growing admiration for Hermione, 'well done Hermione, I knew you were strong enough,' he whispered as he looked across the field towards her. Then, as if pulled by the same force he had felt that night in his bedroom, Ron suddenly found himself running towards the oak tree before he could even think of what he was doing.

As the tears fell down her cheeks Hermione felt herself weakening, she needed somebody, anybody. She needed to feel safe and protected, without a moment's notice she collapsed. She was sure that she should have crumpled to the ground, yet as she fell she felt a stable structure enfold around her. As she gazed up she could see Ron looking down at her. He had that caring look across his face and she felt secure, she broke down in his arms. The tears came thick and fast, yet the tears weren't for Viktor, they were for Ron. That moment before was the first time she had admitted that she liked Ron as more than a friend and had actually realised the impact of her words. For the first time ever she realised how much she relied on Ron and the fact that she didn't know what she would do without him. He _was_ ten times the man Viktor could ever be, maybe even more, she had hated him that morning for so many reasons though at this moment she couldn't think of any of them. Through the good and the bad Hermione knew that he was always going to be the one who would stand by her. Here he was now after all, without being told he had been there when she felt at her most vulnerable.

_I care about you so much Ron, if only I could tell you how much you mean to me, that all of this crying and all of these tears, the rejection of Viktor, the strained playful attitude is all for you. _

_I'll be there for you_, Ron thought as he held her close, bringing them both to the ground and cradling her in his arms,_ you'll never be treated that way again, I promise._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lots of fluff next chapter now that they've made up. Oh yes! Lots of pure, out of character fluff! But is all as it seems?


	10. The harsh reality of dreams

The stars were bright the night after Bill and Fleur's wedding, because of this Ron and Hermione had decided to do a bit of stargazing. 'The Burrows' was empty that evening with the exception of Ron, Hermione and Ginny so they'd had to amuse themselves. The newlyweds had departed on their honeymoon the night before, Mr and Mrs Weasley had gone to the Delacours' to get more acquainted with the family, whilst the twins had decided to refurbish their shop. This had become a longer and more difficult task after the twins had miscast a spell and decided to do it by hand instead. As a result of this, they had decided to stay in the flat above it for a few days for easier access.

Once the house had been cleared the three of them had made themselves an evening meal then Ginny had complained of a headache and excused herself from the table to go for a lie down. The other two had accepted it whilst Ginny knew that it was all an act on her part to give them some privacy. Despite Hermione's protests that nothing could happen as they were technically brother and sister, Ginny had not backed down and was determined to get them together.

After they had cast the spell for the washing up, Hermione had commented on what a lovely night it was and in reply, much to Hermione's amazement that he didn't want to play chess, Ron had suggested they went outside and did some star spotting. After getting over the shock Hermione had agreed enthusiastically.

So that was how they had found themselves, on a clear, warm Sunday evening, lying on the middle of the field behind 'The Burrows' staring up at the sky whilst Hermione pointed out random facts about astrology.

'And that one there is Ursa Minor,' she pointed just ahead of them, 'it was introduced in 6th Century BC but was also used as a guide by sailors and travellers for many years before that.'

'Incredible,' Ron stated, lying prostrate on the ground to the left to her, his right arm behind his head. He kept glancing sideways at Hermione every so often, unable to keep his attention on the stars when there was something much more beautiful within his reach.

'Beautiful, isn't it?' she whispered softly beside him.

'Yes, yes you are,' he replied without thinking. Hermione, however, automatically picked up on what he'd said and turned her head quickly to face him, giving his a surprised look. Realising what he had just said, Ron simply looked at her calmly; he was fed up of playing games. The slip of the tongue had been a blessing in disguise for him and he was going to use it to his advantage, there was no going back from what he had just said, not now.

Turning over to face her, Ron propped himself up on his right arm and looked down at her. His soft gaze made Hermione shiver involuntarily; all she could do was look up at him. She felt paralysed, unable to think of anything to say and unable to command her muscles to move. Yes, this was what she had been waiting for, the time when one of them would confront the situation between them, but now it had arrived she was suddenly struck with doubts. What could it do to their friendship? What if they weren't ready to take the steps towards a relationship? She so wanted to kiss Ron but still found herself unable to do anything. _Relax Hermione, _she told herself, _it's ok. This is Ron, the one person you've truly loved for years; he won't hurt you, not like Viktor. You're only afraid because this could be serious, more serious than anything else you've ever encountered in your life. Take a chance. Trust yourself._

'Ron,' she looked up into his deep blue eyes and willed herself to continue, 'I…I…'

'I'm mad about you Hermione.' Ron cut in, his calm disposition seemed to be fading away and was replaced by the uncomfortable anxiety he usually felt around her. However, he still found himself needing to tell her exactly how he felt whilst he still had the strength to, he had started with his admission, the only thing to do now was finish it, 'I think I have been since third year, maybe even before then; I just didn't realise until recently how much you meant to me. All of this brother and sister stuff has been difficult, I always thought that was what we were but after it was made official I realised how difficult it would be to be siblings,' he took a deep breath and mustered all of his energy to ask his final question, 'do you feel the same?'

There was a deafening silence as Hermione took in all that he had said, convincing herself that it was real, it had happened. Meanwhile, Ron just looked at her anxiously, hoping that he had done the right thing. He just kept reminding himself that it was better to have told her and found out her feelings than to have never told her and always wondered about what could have been.

Finally, Hermione opened her mouth to speak. Ron took a sharp intake of breath and waited for her reply, 'yes,' she whispered.

'Yes?'

'Yes,' she smiled, 'a thousand times yes, Ron.'

A wide grin spread rapidly across his face, she liked him, she really liked him. Taking advantage of the situation he leant in and kissed her squarely on the mouth, at the same time Hermione automatically grabbed the front of his jumper and pulled him down on top of her. They kissed more deeply as Ron cupped her face with his left hand and Hermione ran her fingers through his hair. Caught up in the moment, she then placed both hands flat on his chest and pushed him sideways until she was lying on top of him. Ron's arms snaked round her waist and made her feel safe and protected. At that moment there was nothing wrong in the world, no Voldemort, no Deatheaters, nothing; there were just the two of them.

Breaking away from each other, Hermione looked down at Ron happily, they were so close that she could count the freckles on his face quite easily. He smiled back up at her, both could see longing in each other's eyes, they finally knew where they stood. This was something they weren't ready to let go quite yet.

'Hermione, I…' Ron began; Hermione placed a hand lightly over his mouth to stop him from talking.

'I know. I l…'

Hermione's eyes snapped open in amazement as she was awoken from her sleep, how could she dream that way? After all they had been through, after all the thought she had given to the idea of her and Ron being just friends. How could she think like that when she had just convinced herself that it was best to leave their relationship at friendship?

It was four days after the wedding and the house was now full of Weasleys again, in reality the house had been empty except for the three of them the night after the wedding. However, both Ron and Hermione had spent most of the night playing wizard chess as opposed to stargazing. It had been fun seeing Ron in a mood when he realised that she had been practicing, though Hermione had to admit that the dream evening had been slightly more eventful and interesting.

She thought back to the dream she had just awoken from, how it had felt for them to be that close, how much she had wanted that kiss to be real. She had never been kissed or treated like that by Viktor; she shuddered, how could she think of that… that _animal _after the way he had treated her at the wedding reception?

Reluctantly, she persuaded herself to think of how her relationship with Viktor had been. It had always been so secretive and cold, a chaste kiss on the cheek between her classes, a good distance kept between them at any other time. Other than the Yule Ball, she couldn't remember a time where they had shared more than five minutes together in public. Yes, their relationship had been cold and regimented. Viktor had always been secretly protective and hated if another man happened to even talk to her, he had even accused Harry of being too close to her at one point!

But the kiss in the dream, she remembered how it had felt as she ran her fingers lightly across her lips. That kiss which, if it had been real would have taken her breath away. She had felt his lips on hers, his fingers in her hair, his weight on her chest. It had been so passionate, so loving; it had felt right. It had felt real, and yet it had all been a dream.

At the same time as Hermione had awoken from her dream, Ron had sat bolt upright in his bed. He shook his head violently, what was he doing thinking like that? It had taken him long enough to persuade himself that things could never work out between them and that they were in fact siblings now. Also, he was annoyed at the fact that despite the dream Ron had been rather confident at first, he could never be like that. No! It was better off leaving things as they were. _Thank Merlin Hermione hadn't been dreaming the same thing, _he though,_ it could have been disastrous._

Whilst Ron and Hermione had awoken from the same dream, Fred was still tossing and turning. The dream wasn't quite over for him yet and it was about to become a nightmare.

'_Hermione, I…' Ron began; Hermione placed a hand lightly over his mouth to stop him from talking._

_'I know. I l…'_

_At this point there was a throat clearing from a few meters away, as the couple looked up at the intruder their eyes widened in amazement._

'_Obliviate!'_

_The two teenagers blacked out immediately as the spell hit them both accurately. As they fell to the floor, Fred stepped out of the shadows looking over the two bodies._

'_She belongs to me,' he hissed venomously._

_His brother and his crush, how could they? He felt betrayed, she was his and he didn't want them to remember a thing about what had just happened. He wasn't about to let his youngest brother ruin his chances with the one girl he'd ever felt this strongly about._

_With one final look he stepped past them and walked towards the kitchen of 'The Burrows'._

Fred's eyes opened wide and he stared at the ceiling in despair and realisation; what if the dream was right? What if Ron and Hermione really did like each other? Sure, everyone knew that there was something between them but they'd never actually do anything about it would they? It hurt him to think that it could be a possibility, but he would never do anything like _that_ would he? He could never use 'Obliviate' on Hermione, Ron maybe but never Hermione.

He rubbed his hands over his face and yawned loudly, he had been having dreams about Hermione since she arrived, not that he'd admit it to anybody of course. They had always been the same, he told her he liked her and she had welcomed him with open arms. Only this one had taken a different route, it had been since he had seen Ron comforting Hermione at the wedding. How could he get so close to her as just a friend when Fred had to stay so far away despite being infatuated with her?

He sat up slowly in bed and bought his legs up to his chest, laying his head on his knees. What was happening? Since when did he care this much about a girl? Maybe the dream had been for the best and he would finally realise what a stupid idea it was to feel this way about Hermione. No! Maybe he _should _tell her, let her know where she stood in his affections.

If he could get to her before Ron then maybe it wouldn't be too late!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I know, I know I'm a very mean person making it all a dream but the fluff was a bit _too _out of character for two teenagers who find it difficult enough just to say they like each other, let alone snog each other senseless!

Little author's note: I, unfortunately, am at a loss when it comes to knowledge about astrology so I apologise if there is some reason why 'Ursa Minor spotting' could not be possible. However, I did pick it at random (as it's one of the only constellations I know) and when I looked it up I was surprised to find that a bordering constellation was called 'Draco.' Spooky, huh?

As always, please read and review, all reviews are welcomed with open arms!

More to come soon

Raindrop


	11. All just fun and games?

'Pawn to D5,' Hermione said after a long pause as she picked up a pawn and moved it to her chosen space. Ron and Hermione were sitting cross-legged opposite each other in the lounge of 'The Burrows' playing chess. Much to Ron's dismay, however, they were playing with a Muggle set as Hermione found wizarding chess "inhumane."

They had found themselves in this position since the rest of the family had gone to Diagon Alley. The new school term was once again upon them and Mrs Weasley had ordered that everybody was to get school supplies, so that morning she had left with Ginny, closely followed by the twins who were heading off to make last minute changes before reopening the shop after refurbishment. Ron and Hermione had decided to stay behind and wait for Harry, they could have met him there but Hermione still feared that Harry wasn't quite ready to use floo powder unsupervised quite yet.

Harry was due to arrive at 11:00 so the pair had a good few hours to spare, Ron had automatically suggested chess to which Hermione reacted by pulling out a ready placed chess board from behind the armchair. Happily and oblivious to the conditions of the game, Ron had set up the board. It was only when he made his first order and the pawn didn't move did he realise something was wrong. He had poked it several times with a nearby pencil, in case it was sleeping and decided to bite his finger off, before Hermione pointed out that it was a Muggle chess game.

Grudgingly, Ron had been persuaded to play against her after she threatened that this may be the only time she would ever agree to play chess against him. This was how, fifteen minutes later, they found themselves in the middle of an intense and competitive game. Ron had been surprised at how much better Hermione seemed to be when playing with a Muggle set, but after some deliberation he put it down to the fact that he must just not be as good without magic.

Anyway, he was having fun; it entertained him to watch the concentrating look on Hermione's face every time it was her turn. The way she seemed to bite her lip and knit her eyebrows together, her eyes would glaze over and her right hand would waver over the pieces as if she was trying to feel an impulse or power from the piece that would work best to be moved. Usually he would have thought that paying this much attention was a bad thing, that it betrayed his feelings for her, yet since the dream a few nights before he had dismissed all of these kinds of thoughts and ideas from his mind. Now he was training himself to see everything she did as amusing, a sisterly gesture or action. So far nothing had happened for him to think any differently. He took his next turn.

'Ron?' Hermione muttered as she fell deep into concentration over her next move.

'Yeah,' he replied as he watched her take her turn.

'You remember that night the other week?'

He thought briefly, between running various strategies through his head, of the series of events that had occurred over the last few weeks or so. Nothing was jumping out at him, 'When about?'

'When I told you my worries.'

Sure, that was going to help, wasn't it? 'Uh…' he thought he may as well make some form of answer as he took his next move, taking her bishop.

'In your room,' Hermione hoped this may jog his memory but Ron was far too absorbed in the game to think that deeply.

'Ummm…'

'I couldn't sleep,' she moved her rook impatiently, she wasn't getting anywhere and she desperately wanted to sort something out.

'Still lost.'

'You had sausage and egg for tea.' It all came flooding back, the talk, the book, the interruption, and above all the… Well, it didn't even need to be reminded about, did it? He told himself that he just needed to act naturally, if he pretended he didn't know then she wouldn't press him about it. She would just say "doesn't matter" and it would be done with. That was the plan anyway.

'Oh, that night!' Ron was surprised at how steady he kept his voice, 'what about it?' _Please say "nothing."_

'We nearly kissed,' she stated bluntly, keeping a firm gaze on him. Ron, however, spluttered and knocked over his king with his right hand as he flung out his arm in amazement.

'Are you admitting defeat?' Hermione asked as she looked down at the chess piece rolling on its side on the floor.

Meanwhile, Ron was having a very angry inner monologue running through his mind. _Why do things never go the way you want them to? Why does the plan never work? It was almost three weeks ago; it should have been dead and buried by now! Wait… what did she just say about admitting? I wasn't admitting it!_

'Admitting what?' Ron stammered as he tried to regain composure, 'I'm not admitting anything, why can't you let things go?'

'Your king, Ron,' Hermione indicated with her left hand as she stared wide eyed, amazed at his sudden outburst.

'Oh, no,' he picked up the king and replaced it, giving an apologetic smile, 'sorry. Knight to E4,' he was eager to change the subject and therefore chose the first effective strategy to win the game and took his turn.

Hermione clearly wanted to stay on the subject now that they were on the same level and understood the chosen topic of discussion, 'Ron.'

'Your turn,' he muttered.

She tried again, 'Ron.'

'I'd move my rook if I were you,' he mumbled, looking directly at the chessboard.

'Ronald.'

'Nothing happened,' he stated as he finally, and reluctantly, met her eyes.

Seeing that he didn't want to talk about it, Hermione nodded understandingly, 'Ok.' She moved her rook and the game continued in silence.

It was a good twenty minutes or so until something actually began to happen in the game. So far their chess pieces had been dancing around each other seeming to miss one another by only a few squares each time, Hermione was beginning to remember why she detested the mind-numbingly repetitive game so much when she was pulled out of her thoughts by Ron's voice laced with triumph.

'Check,' he too was glad that he had finally got close to winning the game.

'What?' Hermione asked, confused until she looked down at the board, a look of realisation spreading across her face.

'I can take your king,' Ron explained simply, not noticing the look on her face.

_Really? _Hermione thought, _in that case, it's time to have a bit of fun and put an end to this monotonous game. _'Not if you can't catch it,' Hermione grinned, sticking her tongue out and snatching up the chess piece. Jumping up she took several steps back before bolting off around the room once Ron became aware of what she meant and leapt forwards laughing, trying to grab her round the ankle.

As she ran behind the sofa, Ron was on his feet and bounding after her. Grasping her round the waist, he wrestled her to the floor. Now lying flat on top of her, Ron reached out for the king as Hermione held it out of reach above her head. Eventually giving in, she admitted defeat and held it out to him and he plucked it from between her fingers.

'Not fair,' she breathed as the laughter died down, 'you always win.'

'What's my prize then?' he asked innocently, not picking up on the double meaning of his question. It took a few seconds for the two of them to realise it as they lay there staring at each other, their noses only centimetres apart and the warm breath tickling each other's lips. Apprehension began to flow rapidly through both of them, they willed someone to interrupt, as they always did, before they could even consider crossing the friendship border.

As if on cue there was a sharp pop from the other side of the room and as they looked up their eyes met with the sight of Harry. It didn't occur to them to move as far away from each other as possible as they usually would, this was Harry after all, he would just say that they were having fun playing chess. He didn't seem at all surprised at the situation in front of him anyway.

There was what felt like an eternity of deafening silence before Harry decided to speak, 'Ron, Hermione, I think we'd better get going.'

Never before had they been happier to go to Diagon Alley than they did now. Standing up, Ron offered his hand to Hermione; taking it without hesitation they were soon both on their feet. As they grabbed their coats from the hall they headed for the fireplace, Harry merely rolled his eyes as they turned their backs, he had been putting it off for ages but it seemed that now might be the best time to have a little word with Ron about timing.

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	12. Romancing the wrong Weasley

Readers, thank you so much for all of your reviews. I'm just leaving a little note to say that I have had to delete 'I just wrote to say…' after administration deleted 'Playing cupid' due to dialogue-only writing. I apologise for this and promise that I will start up another story soon with all of the conversations in proper text.

Apologies for the wait but I've had a very busy few weeks and very little spare time. Hopefully you'll forgive me as this is a rather long chapter as opposed to the last one.

Thanks again and happy reading,

Raindrop

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'I need a word with you right now, Ron,' Harry muttered to his best friend as they returned from Diagon Alley, 'upstairs.'

Not knowing how to answer to this statement, Ron simply nodded briefly and followed Harry out of the living room. He climbed the stairs a good four steps behind Harry, unsure of what sort of discussion to expect from his suddenly agitated friend.

Collecting school supplies Harry had seemed happy, they chatted about Quidditch for ages whilst the girls finished being fitted for robes until Hermione came out and knocked their heads together, telling them they were standing in everyone's way and nobody could get in or out of Madame Malkin's. It was at that moment that they realised they were standing in the open doorway with a queue of unhappy witches and wizards behind them. They had laughed it off and gone to look for quills.

Now, walking up the stairs of his house, Ron was finding it difficult to believe that Harry's bout of happiness had ever occurred. His disposition had changed, Ron noticed as Harry stood at the door to their room indicating him inwards, his attitude was different, his stature tense and his features set in a weary manner. Something was bothering him and it was at that moment that Ron evaluated what to expect, this was going to be one long lecture about his immaturity and cowardice when it came to a particular friend of theirs.

With a sense of defeat before they had even began, Ron wandered past his best friend and sat lazily down on the bed, preparing himself for a longwinded and pointless talk which he knew full well wouldn't make the slightest difference to his situation. Harry sat opposite him and leaned forward, resting his elbows on him knees and propping his head up with his hands, an irritated look in his eye.

And so it began.

'You still haven't told her, have you?' Harry stated. Ron had expected as much from him but decided to drag out the conversation anyway.

'Huh?'

'You still haven't told Hermione you like her, have you?' Harry tried again, this time putting it as bluntly as possible so that there was no way of getting round it.

'Umm… no,' Ron replied simply as he looked back at his friend, he really didn't want to have this conversation. It had happened many a time before, Harry had given him constant talks encouraging him to tell Hermione that he liked her, not that they made any difference of course, Ron couldn't tell her, he simply seemed incapable of doing so.

It wasn't for want of trying, Ron would need several hands to count how many times he had come close to telling her and ended up making a pathetic excuse instead. Hell! He had almost kissed her twice. He had been very close to showing Hermione his feelings for her that night Fred had interrupted them; he had always thought that showing her would be easier that telling her. Yet people always seemed to interrupt them, and after that dream he'd had he was very reluctant to show his feelings _or _tell her.

At least he had a reason now, he decided, he was going to have to tell Harry about the dream.

'Ron,' Harry had continued, 'I gave you two a week to yourselves, I told Ginny to do the same…'

'That's why she hasn't been around much,' Ron thought out loud at this point.

'_Anyway,' _Harry pressed on forcefully, determined to make some sort of impression on Ron before he lost him to a completely unrelated subject such as Harry and Ginny's relationship, 'you haven't told her! I gave you a very big window of opportunity, why didn't you take it?'

This bought Ron out of his thoughts, this would be the best time to mention the dream, 'I…'

However, Harry was on a roll and didn't even stop to hear Ron's explanation, 'you could have at least had the decency to tell her when you'd pinned her to the ground before I showed up!'

'Hey!' Ron replied indignantly, 'I…'

'It was the perfect opportunity and you'd obviously created the situation for some reason!' Harry was now sitting upright and putting on quite a show, obviously passionate about his side of the argument.

'I…' Ron tried again, beginning to lose his patience. He didn't like to just sit there and be accused like that, the ending of the chess game had simply been an accident, nothing more. Though, Ron couldn't deny that there had been a certain thrill about being that close to her.

No! He couldn't think like that, he had to stand his ground against Harry, it was beyond wrong to get involved with Hermione, not only because they were siblings at the time but also for the sake of their friendship. He couldn't lose her. Yes, he liked her but to lose her as a friend would destroy him, it was the only way he could ever feel close to her.

'So why the hell haven't you done anything yet?' Harry finally got to the end of his rant, red in the face and out of breath. Ron was positive that he had managed to do that whole speech without even stopping to take a breath. He decided to take advantage of the gap in the monologue before he started up again.

'I had a dream.'

Is if it was automatic Harry suddenly conjured another determined look and began again, 'I don't want to hear your excuses Ron…' he seemed to trail off as a confused look spread rapidly across his face, taking in Ron's brief argument, 'wait, what? Run that by me again.'

'I had a dream,' Ron repeated firmly.

'Who are you? Martin Luther King?' Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

Not getting the joke, all that Ron could think to reply with was, 'who?'

'Never mind,' Harry waved his hand dismissively and got back to the subject in hand, 'what has a dream got to do with anything?'

'It was a dream where me and Hermione were stargazing, I told her she was beautiful, she said she liked me and I kissed her,' Ron gabbled.

Harry looked suitably impressed, 'which you took as a sign that you are obviously meant to be together?' he prompted.

'No,' Ron looked at him as if he had gone mad, 'I took it as a sign to mean "this is what could ruin your friendship, avoid it. You're a brother to her, it's wrong, you should be nothing more if you want to keep her close to you"'

By the time he finished his explanation Harry was mirroring Ron's previous expression to the extreme, 'have you gone _completely _insane?' he asked, putting a large amount of emphasis on the word "completely, " 'You got _that _from a dream about kissing the girl you've been mad about for at least four years? Don't give me that look, you were obviously besotted with her when she looked after you when you were attacked by Sirius in third year!'

A look of bewilderment had covered Ron's face during Harry's lecture, all he could do was open and close his mouth several times, looking like a fish out of water, before being able to come out with, 'But I…'

'Ron mate, you're an idiot, has anyone ever told you that?'

Finally resigning to face the fact that what Harry was saying was true, Ron shrugged half-heartedly, 'many times, mostly you and Hermione,' he admitted.

'That's what best friends are for, so listen when I tell you this, you need to tell Hermione now before you lose her to someone else,' Harry said, a tone of both understanding and urging laced in his speech.

'I can't,' Ron shook his head and stated.

'Would you rather tell her and find out or not tell her and spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been?' It had been blunt but it worked, the words hit home as Ron realised that if he didn't tell her then he'd spend the rest of his life watching her being happy with someone else. That, he knew, would kill him for sure.

Gaining the strength and courage he needed, Ron made the decision that could change his life, 'I'll tell her,' he said confidently.

'Great,' Harry beamed, slapping his best friend on the shoulder encouragingly.

With Harry's enthusiasm increasing, Ron's courage left him, his shoulders sagged and he mumbled, 'later.'

Harry's grin disappeared as quickly as it had formed. Not wanting his good work to have gone to waste he put on his sternest voice and pointed violently at the door, 'Now!'

'Fine,' Ron replied, not being bothered enough to argue he stood swiftly and disappeared through the door. When Harry was right he was right, maybe it was time to tell her. He descended the stairs two steps at a time, he could feel his enthusiasm flooding back and his courage returning the closer he got to the kitchen. He had seen her follow Ginny in there once they had got back just after they had left the lounge a minute before, she had to be in there. Bounding into the kitchen he was disappointed to see that the room was completely empty with the exception of Mrs Weasley who was cleaning off the kitchen table.

'Mum, have you seen Hermione?' he tried to keep the urgent tone from his voice but it would be evident to anyone listening that he was looking forward to something.

'She's outside, Ron dear' his mother replied, looking up at him and smiling warmly.

Ron frowned as he looked out of the window briefly, 'but it's raining.'

'I know, she's being a dear and bringing the washing in for me before it gets too wet.'

'Thanks mum!' Ron's heart leapt, it was like a scene out of a storybook. He would go out and tell her his feelings, they'd both be drenched, then he'd catch her off guard and kiss he before she could object or say anything in response. He shook his head quickly, why did Hermione have to own so many romance novels? Why couldn't they have been about sport or car chases or something? Oh well, what's done is done, he thought, may as well make the most of this knowledge. Think Lockhart!

He made his way across the kitchen towards the door leading outside. This was it, he was going to tell Hermione. He… As he reached the doorway he was stopped dead in his tracks as he looked outside and caught the scene before him.

Someone had stolen his moment.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hermione appeared in the fireplace just in time to see Harry lean in towards Ron and mutter something about needing a word with him before they made their way out of the lounge leaving her alone and slightly neglected. Stepping forwards she turned to sit in an armchair near the fire, no sooner had she dropped into it, however, did Ginny appear. Grabbing hold of Hermione's arm, Ginny proceeded to drag her out of the chair into the kitchen.

As Ginny took a seat at the table, Hermione sat down opposite her. Taking a deep breath Ginny initiated the conversation, 'is it possible you haven't told him yet?'

Hermione's mind was almost blank as she tried to figure out what Ginny was talking about. There was only one person she could think of who could possibly fit the question, 'Who? Ron?'

'Yes.'

'That I like him?' Hermione sighed, she could tell where this was going.

'Yes,' Ginny nodded.

'No,' she stated monotonously, dropping her gaze to stare at the table.

Ginny seemed to tut impatiently before replying, 'why not? I gave you two enough time to yourselves last week!'

Hermione looked up at Ginny in realisation, '_That's_ why I didn't see you for the majority of last week.'

'Uh-huh,' Ginny nodded positively, hoping that Hermione would continue and answer her question.

'Oh.'

Ginny waited for a few seconds before coming to terms with the fact that that was all she was going to get unless she asked again, 'so answer my question.'

'Which one?' Hermione muttered, she hoped that if she were useless enough then Ginny would give up.

'Why not?' Ginny repeated.

'Why?'

'Stop dodging my question,' Ginny moaned irritably. It was like getting blood out of a stone sometimes with Hermione, she thought, sometime she would volunteer her feelings and sometimes she would refuse point blanc and avoid any questions thrown at her on the subject.

Hermione gave up, Ginny wasn't going to budge and leave her alone until she got the truth, 'you're not going to like my answer.'

'Go on.'

'I had a dream.'

There was a moment's silence as Ginny took in what Hermione had just said, 'ok,' she said, trying desperately to keep a straight face.

Hermione rolled her eyes, Ginny was awful at hiding her feelings when she found something amusing, 'go ahead,' she prompted, get it out of your system.'

With this permission granted Ginny collapsed into a fit of giggles, dropping herself onto the kitchen table in hysterics.

'Very supportive,' Hermione crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the stone floor.

Sitting upright again Ginny attempted to regain her composure, placing her hand over her mouth in hope of helping the eruption of laughter to subside, 'sorry,' her apology was muffled before she removed her hand from over her mouth, 'please continue.'

Hermione began to explain hastily before Ginny could start laughing again, 'well, I dreamt that me and Ron were stargazing…'

This seemed to be enough to give Ginny the giggles again and Hermione managed to lose her attention for the second time in three minutes, '_Ginny!' _she scolded.

'Sorry,' she apologised again, this time with a bit more sincerity, 'Ron stargazing. Patience of a saint, that one!'

A smile tugged at the corner of Hermione's mouth at this explanation, she could see what was so funny about it, never in reality would she be able to hold Ron's attention for that long without it being Quidditch related.

'Come on, I do care about your dream.'

'So anyway, I comment on the stars, he says I'm beautiful and tells me he's mad about me then I say I feel the same and we end up kissing.' Now that Ginny had gained control over her hysterics, Hermione could see understanding cross her face as she told the synopsis of her dream.

'That's beautiful,' Ginny smiled, 'and you took that to mean?'

'Maybe he likes me,' Hermione stated as if it was something she hadn't known before.

At this explanation, the sweet smile left Ginny's face and she rolled her eyes before she looked at her friend despairingly, 'duh!'

'Thanks Ginny.'

'Of course he likes you Hermione, the dream is telling you to make a move,' Ginny said, her voice getting more and more ecstatic at the thought of her brother and her friend getting together.

'But in the dream he made the move,' Hermione pointed out.

'_Who cares_?'

'Ok, I'll tell him,' Ginny could hear the determination in Hermione's voice, 'after all, we're siblings, if he rejects me then it means nothing.'

'Always look on the bright side, don't you Hermione?'

Before they could say another word Mrs Weasley hurried into the kitchen followed by Fred who decided to linger in the doorway after seeing Hermione, she looked out of the window and turned to the two girls, 'it's raining, Hermione dear will you fetch the washing in for me?'

'Sure,' getting up, Hermione headed outside as instructed.

'You too Ginny,' Mrs Weasley said.

'But mum!'

'I'll do it!' Fred offered unexpectedly, he had found a moment to spend some time with Hermione and grabbed it with both hands.

'Thank you Fred dear, I need that washing in before it gets too wet to charm dry,' Fred dashed out of the door after Hermione before she could finish, 'I hate charm-drying clothes, they never feel as nice.'

Reaching the washing line Hermione began to tug the items of clothing off and folding them before throwing them across her left arm. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a redhead join her, turning her head slightly she threw a friendly smile at Fred before continuing with her task. For a few moments they were silent and didn't acknowledge each other, this was until they reached for the same t-shirt.

As Hermione grasped hold of the red material of one of the twins' tops, her hand brushed against Fred's. He had taken down the rest on his side and was ready to take down the final item of clothing. Blushing furiously as their skin touched, Fred attempted to cover his move by snatching away the top.

'Excuse me!' Hermione turned on him in a mock rage.

'What?' Fred asked worriedly, maybe she had realised his action, he neglected to notice the playful tone in her voice.

'Do not steal clothing from me!' Hermione continued as she hit him with one of the towels from her pile. Fred seemed to relax slightly as he picked up on the joke.

'Ow! Why not?' he asked, raising an eyebrow cheekily and jumping backwards as she aimed at him with the towel again.

'Because you're making my life difficult,' she stated as he placed the red t-shirt on his pile. They stood there for a second before he lunged forward unexpectedly and stole another item from her pile, a pair of denim jeans.

'Oh, that's the way you want to play it!' Hermione laughed as she grasped at the jeans. He tugged backwards and Hermione let go, watching Fred fall back comically and sprawl on the ground before finding his feet and jumping back up again.

As he leapt forwards again Hermione squealed playfully, dropped the clothes into the washing basket and ran away, ducking around the clothesline, Fred followed suit, slipping on the mud as he rushed after her. Being considerably faster, Fred soon caught up with her, grabbing her deftly round the waist he twisted her round to face him before picking her up and spinning her round.

Laughing heartily, he finally placed Hermione back down on the ground, however, losing her balance she fell forwards towards him. Before he knew what he was doing, Fred pressed his lips firmly against her own in an unmistakeable kiss. Too in shock to do anything, Hermione merely stood there, unable to comprehend what was happening. Fred, however, had figured out exactly what he was doing and tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Unbeknown to both of them, Ron was standing in the doorway of the kitchen dumbstruck by the scene that was occurring fifteen meters away from him. His brother and his best friend, his crush! It was too late! He turned sharply on his heels and disappeared back into the house.

Meanwhile, the sudden pressure of being pulled closer to Fred bought Hermione back to her senses, _what was she doing?_ Pulling away sharply she looked at him in amazement before administering a swift slap to his right cheek.

'What did you think you were doing?' she shrieked furiously.

'I… I … I'm so sorry,' Fred stammered, of all the responses he had dreamt of, he found it surprising to believe that this had never been one of them, 'I like you, I mean _really _like you Hermione. I don't know why, I just do. I have done since you moved in here. I know it's wrong but when you like someone you can't help it, you know?'

Hermione's facial features seemed to soften at this, 'I know exactly how you feel Fred.'

'Oh Merlin!' it suddenly dawned on him, 'it's Ron, isn't it?'

She nodded back gently, 'I'm sorry Fred, I'm really sorry. You're just not the one.'

'He likes you, you know?' Fred muttered, 'you've got to tell him you feel the same. It's destroying him keeping it all to himself.'

This revelation hit Hermione directly in the stomach and she began to feel slightly giddy, Ron liked her! 'Come on,' she said once she had regained her train of thought and picked up the washing basket, 'we'd better get these inside before they get wetter.'

'Ok, and Hermione?' he reached out and grabbed her wrist as she began to walk away, 'we can't tell Ron about this.'

She searched his eyes, hoping to find a reason but all she could see was his pleading. He didn't want to hurt his brother, her admiration for Fred grew again and she could no longer make herself feel angry about his actions five minutes previous, 'agreed,' she whispered.

'Thank you.'

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	13. Convincing the admirers

Hermione sat at the kitchen table with her head in her hands, what had just happened with Fred had finally kicked her into touch with reality. What if it was all in her imagination and Ron didn't like her after all? It could happen, look at what had happened with Fred, he had been positive that she liked him and had acted on it. Instead of being accepted, however, he had been rejected by her because she didn't feel the same way. She sighed, she had always been afraid of rejection, losing the one person she truly cared about, at least at the moment she had the illusion that everything could work out between them. As long as she didn't say anything then she could stay in her dream world and avoid the reality that maybe it wasn't meant to be.

Ginny was sitting across the table from her in silence, she had witnessed Ron storming out of the kitchen only minutes before Fred and Hermione had returned. This was the first sign that something wasn't quite right, her suspicions were confirmed when the pair entered the kitchen soaking wet, red in the face and extremely quiet. Dragging Hermione into the corner she had questioned her until she, Hermione, told her what was going on. Now they sat there in silence whilst Ginny waited for Hermione to broach the subject, it wasn't happening and she was getting impatient.

After a long, and frankly quite boring, silence Ginny decided to start the conversation, 'he kissed you?' she asked in confusion.

'Yes,' Hermione groaned through the hands that covered her face.

Another long silence.

'Would it be reasonable for me to ask why?' Ginny continued.

'Mix up, it was an accident. He said he fancied me but I told him I didn't feel the same way. Now I'm really confused and scared of rejection from Ron like the rejection that Fred got from me and it's all so confusing!' After her rant, Hermione took a deep breath and looked up into the face into a bewildered Ginny.

'I…' she tried to process the explanation she had just received, 'Ummm, I…' she laughed, 'I still can't believed you kissed my brother, Fred of all people!'

'I told you Ginny, I didn't kiss him, he kissed me. I didn't even respond to it, I just pushed him away and…' here she faltered, 'Ummm…'

'Yes?' Ginny asked, fully interested in the story by now.

'I slapped him,' a look of glee crossed Ginny's face, Hermione tried to explain herself quickly, 'not on purpose, it was kind of an automatic reaction.'

Her single-person audience simply shook her head in admiration, 'Hermione Granger, you're my inspiration, I could learn so much from you!'

Hermione didn't quite know how to respond to that so Ginny continued, 'does Ron know?'

Hermione's eyes opened wide at this question, 'No! There's no way he could, and he can't know Ginny. He can never know I kissed his brother, he'll hate me!'

'Don't be so melodramatic, he won't hate you.'

'Fine, he won't trust me ever again though. And if he does like me then I'll lose him for good,' she looked practically frantic by now, 'and I couldn't bear that.'

'What happened to Ron not liking you, and your insecurities about rejection?'

'I said "if," Ginny. I'm not giving up on the idea that he might by some stretch of the imagination like me the way I like him.'

'Do you love him, Hermione?' Ginny said simply.

'Love's a strong word,' Hermione admitted.

'Fine, are you "infatuated" with him?' Ginny tried again, with anyone else the term "love" would have been adequate, but with Hermione it had to be exact. She watched as Hermione thought deeply about this question for a moment or two. Brushing her hair out of her eyes and looking back at Ginny she replied.

'Yes, I do believe I am.'

'And he really likes you, Hermione. Trust me on this, ok? Don't tell him about the incident with Fred, but like I said earlier you need to talk to him about the two of you. I hate to see you like this, just ask him and find out for yourself. It will all turn out all right, I know it will,' Ginny took Hermione's right hand in her own and squeezed it in a friendly manner.

Hermione smiled warmly at this gesture, 'I will, the next time we're alone I'll ask him.'

Little did she know that the next time they were alone they would be talking about something quite different from the topic of their relationship and they would receive news that would mean a release for both of them

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were up in the boys' bedroom, Ron was lying face down on his bed whilst Harry simply sat there gob smacked. All he had got from Ron as he entered in a jealous rage and threw himself onto the bed were some mumblings about Fred, Hermione, scene stealing git and kissing in the rain. Going from his irritable attitude, Harry deduced that there was a good chance Ron hadn't been the one doing the kissing. He had opened and closed his mouth several times as he tried to find the best reply to something like that.

The best he could get out after a good five minutes or so were the words, 'He kissed her?' just to clarify that he had heard right.

'Uh-huh,' Ron muttered as he sat up and looked reluctantly at Harry, he had really been hoping to avoid having to go into great detail about his ordeal.

'Hermione, _our _Hermione?' Harry asked.

'Yes Harry,' Ron snapped impatiently, '_our_ Hermione, _my _Hermione,' he spoke the last part quietly to himself through gritted teeth, yet Harry still picked it up. A smile tugged at the sides of his mouth, Ron was finally getting the right idea, though it seemed like it had come too late.

He still couldn't believe the words he had heard, Hermione kissed Fred, Fred kissed Hermione. From everything Ginny had told him about her girl talks with Hermione he had never seen this coming. He had been told many times that Hermione had admitted to being crazy about Ron and it had been evident for years in their actions around one another.

'Maybe it was an accident,' Harry tried to sound positive, how a kiss could be an accident he really had no idea, this was also what Ron thought simultaneously.

'How can a kiss be an accident?' he asked, giving Harry a scrutinising gaze for obviously being completely useless in the situation.

'I don't know, maybe it was one sided, she might not feel the same way. Or she could have lost her balance, he thought she was going to kiss her and ended up initiating it himself,' he knew how mad this sounded as he said this. If only he knew how true his reasoning really was, that he was telling Ron the real explanation without even knowing it.

'That's insane, mate, did you know that? If Hermione gave me that excuse I would find it very difficult to believe her,' Ron raised his eyebrows and used a mocking tone.

'I still stand by the idea that it was a mistake.'

'Believe what you want,' then he stopped, 'Oh Merlin!'

'What?' Harry eyed his best friend warily.

'She doesn't know that I know.' Ron's eyes glinted at the thought of confronting Hermione about it, he didn't know why he felt so passionate about getting his own back but he wanted her to hurt the way she had hurt him. It was as if his jealousy and the sense of betrayal was possessing his thoughts and actions.

Harry's eyes became wide and round as he caught the tone of maliciousness lacing his voice and could hear the cogs whirring in Ron's brain, he really _did_ want to get even with Hermione, never before had he known Ron want to say something that he knew would cause pain, 'you're not thinking of telling her, are you?' he asked cautiously, dreading the answer.

'Why not?' Ron replied.

'You'll hurt her, Ron, do you really want that? Do you hate her _that _much?' Harry tried to reason with him, he hated a tense atmosphere between Ron and Hermione after a major argument, to have them at each other's throats this intensely could get violent.

'I feel betrayed, Harry. Can't you understand that? She hurt me, to confront her would be a way of getting back onto level ground,' he stood up abruptly and paced the length of the room, running his fingers through his hair in agitation, 'Merlin,' he shouted, spinning back round to face Harry from the other side of the room, 'I can't believe I was going to tell her that I…'

'…like her?' Harry chipped in, attempting to remind him of what he was throwing away.

'"Like" is a bit of an understatement, mate.'

'Fine,' Harry groaned audibly, 'that you're _"infatuated" _with her?'

Ron thought about this for a moment or so, as if recollecting his previous feeling for Hermione, 'Yeah, I suppose I am infatuated with her,' he said eventually.

'Exactly,' Harry stood up and joined his red-head friend across the room, standing directly in front of him, 'are you going to scupper all chances of getting together with the girl of your dreams just because of what could have been a mistake?'

At these words Ron could feel his chilly exterior thawing, his shoulders slumped, it began to sink in as to how much he was going to throw away by acting on his previous plans. He cursed himself for intentionally wanting to cause Hermione pain, 'I'll talk to her.'

'Good,' Harry smiled, attempting to maintain eye contact with Ron as he regained his full height, 'without an argument and without sarcasm entering into it, do you think you can manage that?' he joked.

Ron laughed, 'Yes Harry, believe it or not I have been known to have initiated a few conversations that were devoid of sarcasm, thank you very much.'

'Great, next time you see her alone, talk to her,' Harry turned towards the door and left the room, 'and whilst you're at it,' he called back to him, 'tell her you like her then kiss her before she can object.'

Ron simply stood there with his mouth hanging open in astonishment at Harry's blatant hints, suddenly Harry's head popped back round the doorframe, 'don't act like that, do the world a favour and get it over and done with.'

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So sorry for the long wait, I have also almost completed the next chapter and have started the chapter after that. All reviews appreciated, thanks.


	14. Alone time and arguments

Both Ron and Hermione were quiet around each other for the next few days as they were never alone together; both were desperate to face each other on certain subjects and were afraid that if they talked to each other then things could go horribly wrong. Therefore, by the end of the same week of the incident Hermione initiated some alone time by going outside to enjoy the sunshine.

As she lay on the grass twenty meters or so from the house she looked up at the sky, one arm shielding some of the sun's rays from her eyes and the other messing with the long strands of grass. She was hoping beyond hope that Ron would see her and decide to join her, she could feel that the ministry was close to finding her parents and she needed to tell Ron how she felt before that happened, she felt that she wouldn't have the strength to tell him once she became just a friend to him again. To tell someone that you loved them as more than a brother could be interpreted as anything, to say that you love them as more than a friend could only mean one thing.

Ron was in the kitchen when he glanced momentarily out of the window, he continued on with what he was doing until he stopped dead in his tracks. For a moment he swore that he had seen something out of the corner of his eye when his sight had wandered from what he was doing, turning back to the window he looked out of it again to see Hermione lying on the grass. Alone.

_This is it_, Ron thought as he placed the bread knife on the worktop, _finally my chance to ask her about her relationship with Fred._ _Just be bold and remember, no sarcasm, remember Harry's lecture, do not screw this up! Once you've done that then tell her you like her, the worst she can say is no._

Picking up the sandwich he had just made, he gathered his courage and headed outside. He had felt confident in the kitchen yet with every step he took across the field towards Hermione the more he could feel his determination ebbing away from him. He was worried, afraid that if he carried on like this then by the time he reached Hermione he would be back where he started and would have to make up some stupid conversational excuse to cover it up.

After a walk which seemed to last a lifetime, Ron eventually reached her. He looked down at her, marvelling at the way her hair seemed to act like a halo the way it was splayed out around her head with the midday sun catching it at a positive angle. She had her eyes closed and looked like she was peacefully asleep. It was nice just for that minute to take in the figure of the angel he knew would never be his.

Hermione vaguely felt his presence as he made his way into her space, her bubble she had isolated herself in, yet she didn't open her eyes. She wanted to take this opportunity to just feel him close to her before she broke the spell and they went back to being awkward around each other. Pretending to be sleeping meant that she could savour the memory of them both being within a five-meter radius of each other without either arguing or feeling any tension. She was only drawn out of this as he stepped further forward his figure cast a shadow over her, blocking out the sunlight.

Opening her eyes she looked up at Ron, he stared back down at her, a look of grave concentration on his face as if trying to muster strength before admitting defeat against an internal struggle and sitting down next to her. Handing Hermione half of his sandwich Ron lay down next to her so that they were both head to foot on the grass beside one another. He looked up at the sky before closing his eyes to think, Hermione in turn mimicked this action.

_This is the moment you've been waiting for Hermione, tell him you like him and get it over and done with. You need to know how he feels or else you're going to continue thinking like this for Merlin knows how long. You know you want to find out, if he got another girlfriend it would destroy you and if you lost him in the oncoming battle… _Tears formed in Hermione's closed eyes as she thought of this reluctantly, she brushed them away before they could begin to roll down her cheeks, glad that Ron also had his eyes closed._ Well, it's a terrible thing to think about but you know you'd regret it. You know what it would be like to lose him, so ask him. Go on Hermione, you've always spoken your mind, what's stopping you this time?_

As Ron's eyes closed to the glare of the late summer sun, his thoughts opened to the situation in hand. _Gather your strength Ron; this is Hermione you're talking to. You're best friend, you've always been able to be honest with one another. The first part should be easy at least, asking about her and Fred is something you have a right to know, Fred being your brother after all. Ok, the second topic may be a bit more difficult but you've known each other for six years, she'll respect you and set you straight if you've misread the signals, otherwise she'll tell you that she likes you too and everything turns out fine. Better to know now than never._

He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, looking across to Hermione, 'can I ask you something?'

'Sure,' she replied, not making a move to open her eyes, she just took the questioning in her stride.

'Why did you kiss Fred?'

He watched as her nose wrinkled slightly and she gave a small, apologetic chuckle as she opened her eyes, 'you saw that, huh?'

'Yeah, kind of wish I hadn't. Back to my question though,' he couldn't take her avoiding his questioning. He wanted answers before he lost the will to be polite and turned to sarcasm.

'I didn't kiss him,' she replied simply, propping herself up on her elbows and looking across at him, bending her right leg to a right angle to steady herself.

He copied her actions until their positions were symmetrical then shot her a look of confusion, 'you did, Hermione. Don't deny it, I saw you.'

'You saw what you wanted to see, Ronald,' Hermione retorted, immediately irritated by the fact that he didn't seem to believe her, 'you wanted to see a fault to pick at and you saw the situation you needed as leverage.'

This made Ron snap, it had only been a minute since the conversation had been initiated and sarcasm was beginning to weave its way into his words. He knew what he had seen and didn't like that he was being told that what he thought he'd seen were lies based on misperceptions, 'I _think _I know what kissing someone looks like, Hermione. I've done enough of it myself. Remember Lavender?'

This provoked a hurt look from Hermione, 'Look! He kissed me, not me him. I didn't even respond to it, rather pushed him away because I felt I was being unfaithful to…' she stopped herself before she could give away her secret.

Ron, however, hadn't noticed and continued to throw accusations at her, 'could've fooled me, the way you were clinging to him. You were all over him!'

'What do you care anyway?' Hermione shot him a look of irritation.

'I don't,' Ron said quickly as if to defend himself automatically, 'it's just that he's supposed to be a brother to you.'

'In case you've forgotten, so are you,' Hermione snapped back.

'Which is why I'm protecting you,' Ron's voice became louder and more beseeching.

'From who, your own brother?'

'From everyone, anyone who could hurt you,' for a tenth of a second Ron thought he may have overstepped the mark and admitted too much to her, taking the protective role too far.

Apparently he hadn't, at least not enough for an enraged Hermione to notice.

'And you think that your own flesh and blood is capable of hurting me?' Her tone became higher pitched with every word she shot at him.

'I don't know! But he knew mum's rule, he overstepped the mark!'

At this point, Hermione sat fully upright, leaning in towards him and levelling her gaze with his. By this time she was furious, as Ron looked deep into her chocolate brown eyes he could see so much emotion welling up inside them. Fear, loathing, annoyance, hatred, confusion and disappointment; more emotions than his teaspoon sized emotional range could ever comprehend.

'No,' she stated, shaking her head violently, 'he ignored your mum's rule because he knew that my change in circumstances doesn't matter,' the volume and determinedness in Hermione's voice increased more rapidly now, 'He still respects that I'm different, that I'm not a Weasley!'

'What's wrong with being a Weasley?' Ron replied accusingly.

'Nothing, but it's not who I am, I'm a Granger. I want to be a Granger, I have a right to be who I want to be, to set my own standards as to what my relationships are.'

'I've always wanted you to be a Granger, Hermione. Why can't you see that? You becoming part of the family like this is something I would never want,' he sat fully upright and leaned in towards her, his icy exterior began to melt. He needed her to understand, he wanted her to know his feelings without having to tell her them himself.

'Well, thank you Ronald! Glad to see that you're so welcoming to me,' Hermione spat venomously at him, taking what he had said completely the wrong way, 'being a Weasley hasn't been easy for me if it makes you happy. It's meant changing my feelings, my priorities…'

'In case you hadn't noticed,' Ron cut in sharply, 'I've had to change my feelings too…' There was a sudden chilling change in the atmosphere as they reached the most critical part of the argument, as they always would, where one was almost certain to offend the other with the next remark. Knowing that he was usually the one to administer this remark, Ron lay back down again on the soft grass and reached up with one hand, ruffling his hair in despair, attempting to control himself before he did something drastic.

'Why?' Hermione snapped unfeelingly after assuming that Ron was trying to avoid a questioning on this last point by breaking eye contact with her, 'It doesn't affect you, it just gives you a reason to ward my away from guys by,' at this she mimicked Ron and made quotation marks with her fingers '"doing the brotherly thing"!'

With this statement Ron snapped, sitting back upwards abruptly he gave Hermione an unforgiving stare, 'The change in your last name has been the only thing stopping me from facing my feelings for you.' Realising his confession the moment it had escaped his mouth, Ron automatically covered his face with his hands and groaned audibly, this hadn't exactly been how he'd picture telling Hermione that she was more than a friend to him.

Hermione, however, was touched by this statement and vaguely hopeful as she noticed the embarrassment and hidden caring radiating from Ron at that moment, turning over onto her front and lying down next to him, she reached out her hand and removed his hands from his face. She then lowered her voice to a gentler tone, 'What feelings, Ron?'

All he could do was lie there looking up at her as she cocked her head to one side, interest and hope welling up in her entrancing brown eyes. He could feel colour draining from his cheeks and replacing itself in the tips of his ears, there was no getting out of this one.

'My…'

'Hermione!' A shrill and excited voice broke their moment of admission, both looking towards the source of the interruption but neither getting up from their current position, they met with the sight of Mrs Weasley rushing out of the kitchen towards them. As she got within five meters of them she stopped, catching her breath.

'Hermione dear, it's your parents. They've been found.'


	15. Going home

Dear readers, sorry for the very long wait, I'm going to blame it on too much work and writer's block. I hope you forgive me anyway as we're getting very close to what you've all been waiting for.

As always, best wishes and happy reading,

Raindrop

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Hermione!' A shrill and excited voice broke their moment of admission, both looking towards the source of the interruption but neither getting up from their current position, they met with the sight of Mrs Weasley rushing out of the kitchen towards them. As she got within five meters of them she stopped, catching her breath.

'Hermione dear, it's your parents. They've been found.'

The shock and amazement that Hermione felt could not be put into words, so many things were happening to her, Ron was about to set their relationship straight and her parents had been found. All she found herself doing was sitting there in silence, staring open mouthed at Mrs Weasley.

Realising that Hermione was in a slight state of shock, Mrs Weasley continued on, 'you can go home and see them whenever you're ready dear.' With that she turned on her heels and headed back towards the house leaving Ron and Hermione alone together again.

Hermione turned slowly back to look down at Ron who was still lying in her shadow on the soft grass, he looked up at her and for a moment both could have sworn they saw a glimmer of hope in each other's eyes, the realisation that they were no longer classed as siblings. There was nothing creating an awkward gap between them, no reason to pretend.

'I'm a Granger,' was all that Hermione could think to say, she needed to hear it said out loud in order to believe it to be true. Now there it was, a spoken fact that neither of them could ignore.

'So you are,' Ron replied, confirming that he understood completely. If he hadn't realised their new situation before, Hermione thought, he most certainly did now.

'We're not related any more.'

'Looks like it.'

'Oh,' she stated, a tone of dissatisfaction in her voice. It had finally sunk in about what this change meant, she wasn't just going through a change of relationship with Ron, she was being separated from the one family she felt most at home with. She was losing brothers and a sister she had never had back home, she was losing the constant hustle and bustle of the Weasley home to a quiet and regimented structure.

'Are you disappointed?' Ron asked.

'A little, yes.'

Ron's heart sank, maybe she really did want to just be brother and sister, the way it had always been between them. Ron the brotherly figure who did everything in Hermione's best interests to keep her safe and protected, had he played this role so well that she wasn't aware that he did this because he cared about her? He thought about this point, maybe it was time to set her straight. After all, he couldn't keep up this pretence forever.

'Hermione,' he said, breaking the silence that had been growing between them. He wanted to be as passive with the point as possible yet he was struggling to keep the tone of disappointment and despair out of his voice, the optimism that had laced it earlier had now disappeared, 'what I said about my feelings, well, it's kind of about knowing your feelings as well…'

Hermione had picked up on his negative attitude the moment he had spoken the first few words, what he wanted to say hadn't been good news at all. She must have missed this tone of voice before, she thought; she had been under the illusion that it was going to be something that would make a positive change. Maybe that was never what it was supposed to be. '_About knowing your feelings as well,' _also filled her with dread and confirmed her suspicions; he knew that she liked him and was about to say that she was gravely mistaken about their relationship.

She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't bear to hear anymore, she was already losing a wonderful family; she didn't want to lose the illusion that things could work out between them some day. She took the forefinger of her left hand and pressed it gently against his lips, silencing him, 'no, don't continue. I can't deal with any more heartache right now.'

Ron merely looked bewildered as tears began to roll down her cheeks and she scurried to get away from him. Sitting up he watched as she ran back towards 'The Burrow' at an astonishing pace.

_Heartache for who? _He thought. Him? Did she know what he was going to say, has she known all along? Or was she afraid of getting her own heart broken? Did she think that he was intending on rejecting her?

So many questions were running through his mind, things he didn't understand and couldn't even begin to explain. Whatever the problem was, he needed to know. Making a split-second decision he jumped to his feet swiftly and followed Hermione's path back indoors. He reached the living room just in time to see her burst into flames as she stepped into the fireplace, muttering her home address and releasing the floo powder from her clenched fist.

At this sight Ron's shoulders slumped visibly and he threw himself into the nearest armchair. He was fully aware that there would be no other appropriate time to tell her; he'd missed his chance. There was the option of going after her but Ron seemed to have suddenly lost the ability to be courageous.

'What in the name of Merlin do you think you are doing, Ronald Weasley?' came a piercing screech from behind him, this was enough to make him jump almost three feet out of the chair. He knew that scolding voice and it was only seconds before his suspicions were confirmed as the figure of Ginny Weasley came into view followed by the twins and a rather despairing Harry.

'Go. After. Her!' she ordered, pointing towards the fireplace.

'I can't,' Ron moaned, 'it's too late.'

'It is _not _too late! We've really had enough of this, go after her and tell her your feelings!'

No one had quite realised how strongly Ginny had felt about this situation until just now and they were beginning to get slightly scared and wary of what she might resort to.

'Anyway,' Harry piped up, hoping to neutralise the situation slightly, 'she needs support, her parents are coming back and she has no idea what to expect.'

'I'm not exactly the supportive type, mate,' Ron muttered, he couldn't think of any good excuses and so resorted to what he thought were simple facts.

'Nonsense,' Ginny started up again before anybody else could get a word in, 'how many times have you comforted her over the past few months?'

'Nine,' George said before Ron even had time to open his mouth. This input into the conversation was met with bemused looks from everybody in the room, 'what?' he shrugged, 'I had nothing better to do; Fred was besotted with Hermione and completely useless in the workshop. I swear that boy has a one track mind at times.'

'In my defence, she's a very nice girl,' Fred interjected, raising his hands in protest.

This statement received a venomous stare from Ron, 'Shut up, I'm not talking to you,' he thought about this for a second, 'Actually I am, why did you kiss Hermione?'

'Thought I liked her.'

'"_Thought"_? _"Liked"_?' Harry questioned the past tense in his statement.

'Yeah, turned out I didn't like her as much as I believed.'

'When did you figure that out?' Harry folded his arms in amusement.

'Right after she slapped me.'

'Right,' Harry replied in mock understanding.

'Back to the point in hand please boys,' Ginny scolded, 'how many times have you almost kissed?'

'Two,' George decided to input again.

'Stop counting!' Ron snapped irritably, the fact that everybody was more knowledgeable about his apparently well-hidden feelings for Hermione was a bit too much to take in, especially in the form of a Spanish Inquisition.

'I agree George,' Ginny said, turning on her brother, 'shut up!' George in turn recoiled slightly, seeing the determined and murderous look in her eyes. She was small but highly dangerous, he had learnt that from previous experience.

'Thank you Ginny,' hoping that it was over Ron pushed himself out of the armchair to leave the room.

'Oh no,' his sister turned back to face him and pushed him forcibly back into the chair. He landed with a thud, losing his balance and sliding awkwardly down in the chair. There was a look of bewilderment crossing his face for the second time that afternoon as he stared upwards, meeting the gaze of four determined teenagers bearing down on him.

'I am nowhere near finished with you,' the youngest Weasley and only girl continued, flipping back her fiery ginger hair in annoyance, 'this is not over.' Then with another flick of her hair her tact seemed to change, gripping hold of Ron's arms firmly she pulled him upwards and turned her towards the fire, 'go now.'

'If you don't then I will,' Fred said, within seconds all eyes were on him. Despite what he had said earlier about not liking Hermione anymore, it was suddenly difficult to tell whether or not he was actually kidding. He was glad to have grabbed Ron's attention but he needed to try a bit harder, he thought.

After a few excruciatingly painful seconds Fred played his next card, with his left foot he swivelled towards the fireplace and took a step forwards with his right leg. This was enough to provoke a reaction, there were a series of confused gasps from his sister, twin and Harry whilst Ron went red and fury lit up in his startled blue eyes.

'Don't you dare!' he snarled, releasing himself from Ginny's grasp, she was still holding onto his wrists because she had been worried that he would try to wander off. Now she had no reason to worry as Ron was heading directly towards the fireplace, dropping the floo powder he burst into flames.

Once the last of the fire had disappeared Fred turned smoothly on his heels and bowed triumphantly to his two astonished siblings and a thoroughly impressed Harry, 'you may thank me now!' he stated as he regained full height.

'That,' Harry said in admiration, 'was very original. I think you managed the impossible.'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hermione stepped out of the fireplace and into her familiar but distant living room. This didn't feel right. Sure, give it a few days and it would be back to normal, but for the moment it didn't feel like home. Home was with the Weasleys, in a quaint but busy atmosphere with a buzz of magic about it. Home was where she had sisters, brothers; home was where Ron was. That was her real family, parents with magical abilities, older brothers, the sister she had always hoped for, and Ron. She wasn't sure if she could class Ron as family though, she kept pretending he was like a brother but she knew full well that he would always be something more to her.

She took a brave step into this now unfamiliar territory, placing her jacket on the arm of the sofa. She had left her belonging back with the Weasleys; she had needed to get out as quickly as possible especially after what had just happened. She brushed away the remaining forgotten tears from her cheeks. He had known, for how long she didn't know but she was sure that he had known. She thought she had kept her feelings so well hidden from him yet there he had been, saying that it concerned her feelings as well as his own. She had always told herself that it was obvious he didn't feel that way about her.

That was why she had needed to get out, she had wanted to postpone Ron's decline of her feelings for as long as possible and if there was one thing Hermione knew for sure was that Ron was not the kind of person to follow her.

Again she looked out at the room with her back to the fire, a few more tears escaped from the corners of her eyes, she felt so alone. She was beginning to wish she had waited for Ginny. She hadn't seen her parents for so long, she had no idea what state they would be in or whether they would even remember her. Maybe she should go back, she thought, find Ginny.

There was warmth on her back as the floo network connected to her fireplace; it was too late to go back now. They were back.

Then it hit her, her parents were back. Finally, after weeks of waiting and worrying they were back. Suddenly she didn't care about anything, how they would look or what they would remember, they were her parents and she loved them. A glow of happiness filled her and she spun round swiftly on her heels.

'You're back!' then she stopped abruptly, dumbfounded. For the first time in her life she was speechless, even beginning to doubt her flawless knowledge. This was something she had never believed could happen, and bearing in mind she had been through a lot over the last six years.

'You!'

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I promise that is the last cliffhanger I will give you for this part of the story.

More to come soon.


	16. Facing up to the truth

As a thoroughly astonished Hermione was rooted to the spot opposite him, Ron stood in the ashes of the fire that had transported him. Embers that clung to the air around him produced menacing shadows across his face, the firelight streaked itself through his already flame coloured hair and caused his bright blue eyes to reflect the lights that bounced around the room.

'What did you mean?' Ron took the silence as a chance to start the conversation himself, he wanted answers and he was going to get them.

Hermione shook herself mentally before taking in what he had just asked, 'What?'

'What did you mean when you said you couldn't take any more heartache?'

'Ron, I really can't deal with this at the moment,' she implored, this wasn't what she had expected to happen and it was far too early for her to be dealing with something like this, especially with the impending arrival of her parents.

'But _I _need to know,' Ron pointed at himself and stepped out onto the hearth of the fireplace once the last of the embers had extinguished themselves, 'If you're afraid of hurting me then don't wait to tell me. I can assure you that you won't have to deal with any heartache on my part. I promise you, I'll understand completely.' This was a blatant lie, Ron knew full well that if Hermione told him she didn't reciprocate his feelings then his whole word would fall apart there and then.

However, instead of finding a look of regret and denial when he searched her eyes, Ron found himself confronted with confusion, 'Afraid of hurting you? Why would I hurt you?' Hermione was unable to comprehend the remark that Ron had just presented to her.

'Didn't you mean that you were scared to tell me you didn't like me because of how badly it might hurt me?'

'No,' Hermione said without thinking, suddenly unable to control her own expelling of explanations, 'I was afraid you were going to do exactly that to me, and I simply couldn't take that right now.'

'You like me…'

Abruptly regaining the ability to control her words, Hermione attempted to right herself, 'Ron, I…'

But it had just occurred to Ron as to what she had been subconsciously implying '…but how could you think I would do anything to hurt you? Don't you know…'

He was incapable of completing his speech as he was interrupted by Hermione who had taken a bold step towards him and was determined to set things straight, no longer caring about the complications which may come in the aftermath.

'I thought you only loved me as a friend. A lot of bad things have happened to me recently, if anything I wanted to hold onto the illusion that maybe things could work out. If I'd let you continue on to tell me you knew and didn't return my feelings when we were outside earlier then that would have broken my heart. That illusion was all I could hold on to until things are back to the way they were.'

Hermione was rather taken aback when she stopped for breath to find that Ron was taking her admission better than expected. So well, in fact, that he seemed to be finding it difficult to stifle a burst of laughter and mask a grin that wanted to be let loose across his freckled face. Instead, he was standing there shaking his head incredulously.

'You have no idea, do you? Hermione, think of all of those times we were alone together, the chess game, the wedding. Merlin, even that night in my room, I was so sure that you'd notice that there was something more than friendship in the way I treated you, I thought that you knew about my feelings. That was what I was going to tell you earlier, that I liked you. I needed to know where we stood in this relationship because it was driving me mad.'

Hermione was speechless as she processed the information. Once she had convinced herself that this was real she asked, 'So where do we stand exactly?'

They were now directly opposite each other with mere inches between them, neither could recall how it had came to be but they definitely weren't going to argue about it.

'You tell me.'

'I'm sure we'll figure it out.' Hermione reached out for Ron's hand and entwined her fingers in his own; she then looked up into his eyes and, seeing the sheer delight and feeling of completion that filled them, she smiled broadly.

Ron squeezes her hand in reply, 'I'm here for you; we'll get you through all of this, me, Harry, the twins, Ginny, just say the word. You'll never have to deal with things alone, you know that, right?'

'Yes, but right now you're here and that's all the support I need.'

'Really?'

'Yes, Ron, try not to sound too surprised. You can be useful sometimes.'

Ron couldn't stop himself from taking the prime opportunity to bring some Weasley humour to the situation, 'Well, that _is_ a surprise. Imagine that! Me, finally of some use to the great Miss Hermione Granger, I need to contact Harry, my parents, by brothers! They'll be so proud of me…'

'Very funny.'

'Be my girlfriend?' Ron asked as he ceased with his antics and placed his arm around her waist and resting his hand on the base of her back.

'Of course!'

Again, Ron couldn't help it, 'After all, we are not so much brother and sister to make it improper.'

'Brother and sister?' Hermione laughed, swinging her spare arm around his neck, 'no, indeed we are not.' Note to self, she thought, keep Ron away from her fiction books in future. The appropriate quotes were starting to get her into some serious trouble.

'You're as bad as me.' Ron pointed out

Hermione pulled against his neck to double him over until he was leaning slightly over her, 'Maybe even worse,' she whispered. And with that she kissed him firmly on the lips.

It was a long time coming and they could both tell, there was longing as they held tightly onto one another. And though it was a gentle and tender kiss, as all first kisses should be, there was a sense of urgency and want, as if they were each being given something that had been out of their reach for so long. Stepping away from the hearth of the fireplace into the room, they both held onto each other more and more tightly with every step, neither wanting to let the other go even for a second. All of those uncomfortable moments and near misses had taken their toll on their feelings; it had made them greater than ever.

Neither of the two lovers felt any discomfort over crossing the boundary from friendship to relationship, in a way it was as it had been for the last several years. Ever since the day that Hermione had awoken from her petrifaction in their second year and both had found that, when confronted with each other in the great hall, they had missed each other greatly and didn't want to be separated without a good reason ever again.

Since that day the arguments had increased in a hope that hate would counteract the attraction, feelings had become stronger and both had found themselves in a war against the other in a fight to see who could make whom more jealous. It had finally taken a shock change in relationship, the worst and most realistic change of all, to take it over the top.

Now as they stood in each other's arms they knew that it had all paid off, they were blissfully happy and could have stayed that way if they hadn't been interrupted by the arrival that Hermione had been waiting for.

'Honestly, we're gone for a few months and come back to _this?_' a strong male voice laced with a hint of feigned disgust and amazement cut the atmosphere.

At this prompt Hermione untangled herself from Ron's spindly frame rather reluctantly then ran towards the fireplace, 'dad!' Mr Granger wrapped his arms around his daughter and held her tight. Her mother smiled warmly and was immediately invited into the long-delayed family reunion. Ron simply stood there and smiled, Hermione was happy and in the end that was all that mattered.

After a moment or two of welcoming and reassurance between members of the Granger family, Mr Granger looked up at Ron who was still standing in the middle of the living room, 'hello there.' Hermione took this as a cue to step backwards out of the constructed triangle between them and after a few steps found herself back at Ron's side.

'Mum, dad, you remember Ron, he's my…' She was about to say "school friend" when she was pleasantly reminded of their newfound relationship as she felt his warm and comforting grip on her left hand, '…boyfriend,' she concluded as a look of pure happiness spread rapidly across her face.

'Of course,' Mr Granger said cheerfully, walking towards them with his wife at his side, 'Ron Weasley! It's a pleasure to see you again, and under such happy circumstances. I can't think of anybody I'd be more happy to see my daughter with.'

'You should join us for lunch,' Mrs Granger said, acting in a way that made Ron realise where Hermione had inherited her captivating smile.

'I'd be delighted to, Mrs Granger,' Ron replied politely and agreeably, following the two adults as they lead the way to the kitchen, 'I like your parents, I think we're going to get on well.'

Hermione rolled her eyes at this statement, 'they offered you food, Ron, you would have become best friends with Grawp if the first thing he had done was offer you a bacon sandwich.'

'Looks like we got off on the right foot then.'

'I've said it before and I'll say it again, you're impossible Ronald Weasley,' Hermione scolded playfully.

'And you're stuck with me.'

'For once, I couldn't be happier.'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ok, big apologies, it's been a while as I've had an awful lot of work to get done and have hardly found the time to write much fiction stuff. But luckily here it is, the bit you've all been waiting for, I hope it doesn't disappoint.

To those of you that just wanted the love story this is where we part ways, I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it; however, for those of you in this for the romance I am going to continue adding to this story as we follow Ron and Hermione through their budding relationship so please keep reading and reviewing.

As always, best wishes and happy reading,

Raindrop


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